Chandigarh, May 19 (IANS): In order to tackle the COVID crisis by way of providing timely treatment and further ramping up the bed capacity in the state, the government of Punjab through the Department of Health has initiated the process of granting approval for setting up of temporary hospitals.

The first such project at Mohali, near here, got NOC within 24 hours of submission of the application based upon self-declarations.

In order to ensure prompt and hassle-free clearances in these difficult times, relevant government departments have made relaxed standard operating procedures for encouraging people to set up make-shift COVID hospitals in the state.

The departments involved are the Health, the Local Government, the Housing and Urban Development, the Punjab Pollution Control Board, the Public Works Development and Labour.

Invest Punjab has been made the nodal office to facilitate issuance of all requisite NOCs and in-principle approvals from all departments concerned.

The person or group who intends to open a temporary hospital can apply to invest Punjab by simply filling an application form and submitting self-declarations, an official statement said.

This has been done to ensure that any person or group desirous of opening a makeshift hospital doesna¿t need to visit multiple offices and get the clearances in a time-bound manner.The final authority to issue in-principle approval lies with the Department of Health.

The first such in-principle approval was granted to Mohali Medical Group Pvt. Ltd for setting up an 80-bedded temporary hospital in Mohali.

Sharing the details, Rajat Agarwal, CEO, Invest Punjab, said that Invest Punjab facilitated expeditious approval of the project by coordinating with all departments and all the required NOCs were made available to Department of Health for granting approval within 24 hours.

All the departments have been working together to battle the COVID, he added.