Don Bosco School, Park Circus, on Saturday opened a safe home for Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms, on its campus.

The 30-bed facility with oxygen support, in the classrooms on the ground floor of the building, has been set up when the school felt the need to “create more medical aid is at its greatest”.

“As of now schools are closed and we are not sure when we will be able to reopen campuses. When we have the space and facilities we thought we should make it available for medical service and reach out to the needy,” said principal Father Bikash Mondal.

Some of the doctor parents of existing students and past pupils of the school took the initiative in collaboration with the school.

“As Covid-19 treatment can prove to be expensive to many...the primary aim is to reach out to people who are at an economic disadvantage,” said a statement issued by the school.

The safe home has started under Atanu Saha, a cardiac surgeon at a city hospital.

“We have onsite doctors and trained nurses who will monitor the patients. If a patient deteriorates we will have to shift him to a higher facility,” said Saha.

The need to create facilities outside of hospitals is essential because “hospitals are overworked and infrastructure is full”, he added.

Saha said he had run from pillar to post to get a space to treat patients.

“All we needed was a space but either the people were unwilling to give or were charging exorbitantly. I then approached the principal of my son’s school and he immediately agreed.”

Don Bosco Park Circus has joined hands with Atma, a foundation for healthcare service and Unigrow Solutions, human resource consulting, to offer the facility to Covid patients.

The facility will have on call doctors and tele consultation option.

About 10 days back, Don Bosco started a testing facility where people could get RT-PCR tests done on its campus.

The school is planning to start a vaccination centre also and talks are under way with the Calcutta Municipal Corporation.