With the increase in Covid-19 cases in the region, there was a need to have a separate Covid care hospital of the Army in Pune so that the multidisciplinary Southern Command Hospital could continue treatment of non-Covid patients unhindered. Army Institute of Cardio Thoracic Sciences (AICTS) was identified and converted into a Covid Hospital for treatment of primarily service personnel, former servicemen and their wards from 29 March 2020.
The hospital converted its 600-bedded facility into a 400-bedded Covid facility with 20 critical beds (Ventilator), 30 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 350 Isolation beds. The institute has been a blessing for numerous corona patients not only from the Armed Forces fraternity but also the civilian patients of Pune and areas around. AICTS has also been taking care of the infected uniformed police personnel of Pune and civilians on referral basis as directed by the designated civil administration.
The hospital has managed complex multi-organ failure cases and is also a key member in multiple research projects including the WHO study “Solidarity Trial”. At present hospitalised patients with symptomatic Covid-19 are given either injection Remdesivir or Interferon Beta 1a, which are being provided by the WHO. The institute has admitted more than 1,650 Covid patients till date and discharged more than 1,333 cases, with a recovery rate of 81%. More than 322 civilian patients were admitted during this time requiring critical care and 55 Police personnel have been treated in ICU and discharged.
The institute also gave a helping hand to the Pune Cantonment General Hospital by looking after over 40 patients requiring ICU care.The institute dealt with the sickest of patients sent in from Pune Municipal Corporation Covid care centres. The AICTS Covid facility centre has 90 healthcare workers (HCW) comprising of doctors, nursing officers, para medical staff, housekeepers and support staff working tirelessly round the clock following all laid down ICMR guidelines for treatment and care of corona patients. The hospital simultaneously has also been carrying out its essential Cardiology, Cardiothoracic and Interventional radiology work. The patients have thanked the Covid warriors of the Army for their outstanding performance and high standard of hygiene and maintenance of the corona facility centre at AICTS.
Army Institute of Cardio Thoracic Sciences is a premier institute in national standing dealing with complex interventional cardiology, intricate cardio-thoracic surgeries, Pulmonary and Interventional radiology and Pathology. The institute was raised as an Indo-Burmese General Hospital in 1942 and was named Military Hospital Aundh in 1946. The Hospital shifted to its present location in 1972 with a change in its role wherein it became a specialty institute named as the Military Hospital Cardio Thoracic Centre (CTC). On 20 February 2020, MH CTC was rechristened as an Army Institute of Cardio Thoracic Sciences undertaking research projects in its domain specialisation fields.