Medical workers transfer a COVID-19 patient to a ward at the Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) in Patna, India's Bihar state, on July 21, 2020. (Str/Xinhua)

 
Two 500-bed COVID-19 makeshift hospitals will be established in India's eastern state of Bihar, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said Monday.

According to the PMO, the effort would go a long way in improving COVID-19 care in the state.

Bihar is the eighth worst-hit state in the country with 121,947 COVID-19 cases including 511 deaths.

"PM-CARES Fund Trust has decided to allocate funds for fight against COVID-19 by way of establishment of 500-bed COVID-19 makeshift hospitals at Patna and Muzaffarpur, Bihar, by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). This will go a long way in improving COVID care in Bihar," a brief statement issued by PMO said.

Workers set up a care center converted from an indoor stadium as the numbers of COVID-19 cases rise in New Delhi, India, on June 30, 2020. (Photo by Partha Sarkar/Xinhua)

Announcing the decision, the PMO said the 500-bed hospital at Bihta in the capital city Patna was being inaugurated on Monday, while the 500-bed hospital at Muzaffarpur will also be inaugurated soon.

The PMO also shared images of the hospital at Bihta.

"These hospitals have 125 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds with ventilators and 375 normal beds each. Each bed also has oxygen supply. The doctors and paramedical staff will be provided by the Armed Forces Medical Services," the PMO further said.

The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) was created in March following the COVID-19 pandemic in India. The fund will be used for combating, and containment and relief efforts against the coronavirus outbreak and similar pandemic like situations in the future.