Building construction major Saint-Gobain Gyproc India has converted an existing hospital premise at Majura Gate in Surat, Gujarat into a Covid-19 facility to be able to cater to healthcare infrastructure requirements for the city and South Gujarat region. This was a part of the Gujarat government’s resolution to build Covid-19 facilities meeting WHO guidelines in less than three weeks in the wake of the recent surge in reported cases.

According to the company, the Surat facility required the construction of wall partitions of 52,000 sft for creating divided sections to set up more wards, sanitation areas, pantry and essential zones, with each area offering adequate space for every patient. Tapping into its experience in infrastructure transformation and expertise in technology, the company led the project providing design support, material movement, installation sequence, workforce planning, on-site supervision and coordination with other agencies related to the project. Initiated on July 6, the mammoth project saw completion in less than three weeks, making it one of the fastest constructions recorded in the country. The successful transformation was made possible using Gypsum plasterboards-based drywall technology that enabled speedy implementation.

Commenting on the project, Sudeep Kolte, vice president for sales and Marketing at Gyproc India, said: “We are humbled to have been a part of an initiative that contributed towards such a critical public health situation. Makeshift changes are definitely the need of the hour. However, making these solutions effectively sustainable in the long-run is a step above in ensuring future-ready infrastructure. This project is a unique example of delivering innovative designs using green technology, like Gypsum-based drywalls, in a brief timeline, and relevant even beyond hospitals,”

Kolte added, “As a testimony, Gypsum-based drywalls technology has already found widespread acceptance amongst the private healthcare players. More than 25 private healthcare chains have already used drywalls technology in one or more of their projects. With government driving strong healthcare infrastructure with numerous super-speciality hospitals and new AIIMS campuses across the country as a part of Pradhan Mantri Swastya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), construction technologies such as drywalls would only help make these facilities further access to the masses. Furthermore, the Government of India announced additional funding, new reforms and more healthcare targeted initiatives as a part of the Budget in 2020, in response to the pandemic-related needs. The effectiveness of this project has inspired many other governments to consider replicating the model in more regions where a growing number of cases continue to challenge healthcare infrastructure availability.”

Underscoring the significance of drywall technology in the project, the principal consultant for Surat Hospital, Kamal Parekh, MD & CEO, Shri Sarjan Technocrats Pvt Ltd, said: “As a consultant to the project, we faced two major challenges. First was to conceptualise and deliver the project in the shortest time span possible. Hence, traditional masonry that consumes a specific curing period could not be used. The other major challenge was inadequate availability of labour to complete eight floors, as the majority of migrant labours had left the state. Today, it is because of the drywalls technology that we were able to deliver 600-bed facility to Surat and South Gujarat well within 17 days. With this solution, any government or private healthcare organisation can take advantage of its potential, particularly fire resistance, flexibility and workability, and deliver faster and superior healthcare facilities.”

Added Chirag Patel, assistant vice president for projects of PSP constructions Ltd: “It was quite a herculean task for all of us with this project, considering the speed of construction required to meet the deadlines. Quick response time, instant material availability, on-site guidance along with the reliability and experience was one of the key criteria for us to choose Gyproc and their drywall offering to aid the faster construction”

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