Field hospital in Guttmann Institute ready for first coronavirus patients

A temporary field hospital with 71 beds for people with mild cases of Covid-19 is ready to receive its first patients should the Germans Trias i Pujol hospital in Badalona, north of Barcelona, need somewhere to accommodate coronavirus patients.

The field hospital has been set up in the pavilion of the Guttman Institute, a private foundation that normally provides rehabilitation treatment for people with neurological conditions, such as spinal cord or brain injuries.

While the final touches were being put to the temporary facility this week, a team of health professionals received special training so that they can provide primary care to the patients with mild covid-19 symptoms, who could start arriving next week.

The institute and the hospital, which is popularly known as Can Ruti, have been cooperating for some time, and they recently set up two fully-equipped medical units inside the institute's main building to treat coronavirus patients.

Some of those patients could be moved to the temporary hospital if all 76 beds in the medical units in the main building become occupied. Other patients could come from the Can Ruti hospital if it sees that it is running out of space to accommodate them.

On Wednesday, the 71 beds in the field hospital were all freshly made and awaiting their first patients, while the facility also has its own computer system and has been installed with an oxygen system to provide patients with respiratory therapy.

Apart from the pavilion, the institute has also made its gym facilities available to the hospital, which will be used as office space for the field hospital. The institute is also working with Can Ruti in providing logistical help and services such as cooking and cleaning.