COVID-19’s Impact on Construction of Healthcare Facilities

COVID-19 has placed a great impact on healthcare design and construction facilities. This virus has virtually locked down the whole world and it has brought significant amount of pressure on all nations to rethink on the construction strategy about their healthcare facilities.

Because of this pandemic, it is time to rethink as well as embrace some of the social and health protocols. This contagious virus has pushed the entire healthcare construction industry to come at the forefront and lead new directions so that this pandemic can get tackled in a sensible manner.

COVID-19 Pushing Countries to Increase Construction of Healthcare Facilities

Almost all countries are pushed by this pandemic to increase and boost the construction of their healthcare facilities. Most importantly, nations are increasing their spending solely and exclusively on this category. It is expected that between the times of 2020 and 2023, most of the states anticipates and predicts to amplify their total spending by 38% in their healthcare sector.

According to the construction cost estimators reports, New York City managed to spend more than $6.8 billion exclusively on their healthcare construction following pandemic. Furthermore, it is even expected that Bronx and Brooklyn are going to double their healthcare-construction spending. 

Why There Should be Increase in Construction of Healthcare Facilities?

The whole focus on construction of healthcare facilities is subjected and projected to a large number of factors. COVID-19 has become the next normal thing and all countries have clearly predicted this fact that increase in hospital numbers will help healthcare providers to become fully adapt to this next normal pandemic.

Furthermore, the surge in healthcare facilities, services and amenities will prepare us to face the potential resurgence of COVID-19 with much sensibility. Keep in mind that the surge in constructing hospitals depends on the distribution and provision of future federal aid. Moreover, it totally depends on the strength of the economy and also the financial outlook encompassed by healthcare institutions.

How COVID-19 has changed the Design Thinking Approach of Healthcare Construction Industry?

It is reported that this pandemic has managed to alter and completely change the way these medical and healthcare facilities used to be constructed from now onwards. Now, such hospitals are building up that show more space for more beds. In addition, it is time to construct such hospitals that display extensive ICU capabilities and also flexible patient capacity.

This COVID-19 pandemic is pushing the construction takeoff services industry to design such kind of hospital units that carry additional power and too emergency power sources. Besides, healthcare facilities should show tremendous and flexible number of ways as to how to separate patients and exhibiting additional entrances and exits. Lastly, following pandemic has urged to start building hospitals that are installed with updated ventilation processes and even top-notch air filtration processes.

Renovation of Existing Medical Centers to Handle Flood of Infected Patients

It is all because of this following pandemic that we are seeing extensive renovation and remodeling of existing medical centers so that flood of infected patients can be handled with greater efficiency. Countries like USA, Brazil and India are known to be an epicenter for this coronavirus. Till now, they are witnessing huge number of active cases, hospitalizations and deaths. For the reason that they have remodeled their medical centers so that this pandemic emergency can be planned and adjusted accordingly.

We saw this practice in the very first half of 2020 that maximum number of existing facilities were remodeled and renovated for the sake of handling giant in number of infected patients. Moreover, we saw the presence of small-scale medical sites. This practice was carried out so that pressure on hospitals and big medical care units can be eased. Hence, lots of healthcare projects are still in the pipeline and they are designed in a way to tackle pandemic situation in a well-prepared manner.

Planning Healthcare Facilities include Complex Infrastructure Design of Medical Care Facilities

Talking about the post-COVID situation, the overall planning process of healthcare facilities is now totally changed. The construction of hospitals is now included with complex operational designs and infrastructure designs.

Moreover, these crucial and highly significant considerations have become an immediate concern for almost each single hospital and medical care unit out there. Hospitals have now become immensely alert so that overflowed and influx emergency cases can be dealt with care and utmost proficiency.

Hospital sector have currently re-modified their emergency departments and increased the number of intensive care unit beds. The overall challenge faced by the healthcare construction industry is to make patients feel completely comfortable during a pandemic.

Most of the medical centers are implementing this latest operation and infrastructure design and they are trying to pursue for staff reconfiguration plans as well. This whole re-designing approach has managed to ensure fluidity and thus successfully increased patient satisfaction.

Long Term Approach to be pursued by Hospitals Following Post-COVID

When talking about the long term approach, it has become essential for hospitals and medical units to prioritize their infrastructure upgrading projects. Furthermore, they are making flexible plans to build new and latest HVAC systems. Hospitals are now making efforts to upgrade their heating, ventilation, and also air conditioning systems.

The long term approach should be based on improving and fully enhancing gas infrastructure of medical care units. In the same manner, we have seen the trend of micro hospital development. Now, most of the healthcare systems have pursued this trend.

Under this category of micro hospital development, hospitals will be accompanied with urgent care services and proficient inpatient capabilities. Such a development has expanded hospital services and they have entered in the position to better deal with post-COVID situation.

In addition, hospitals and medical care units should be constructed in more rural catchment kind of areas. This way, overflow of infected patients can be alleviated and get balanced in acute care hospitals. 

Other Challenges Faced by the HealthCare Construction Industry

This healthcare construction industry is constantly facing huge challenges because of this pandemic arrival. In other words, they are facing supply chain issues, speed to market issues and even labor issues.

These challenges have continued to flash new discussions and focused our attention to give an increased consideration and thought to modular solutions. In the past time, the entire medical sector was slow and somewhat lethargic to embrace these modular solutions but now they have changed their mindset.

This healthcare construction industry has faced a significant reduction in acquiring skilled labor and embracing modular solutions helps them to tackle this challenge. Through the adoption of modular solution, healthcare construction industry is now facing controlled construction environments and waste reduction, as well as quality control modes.

So, what’s the bottom line? COVID-19 has brought immense challenges for medical care construction industry. Despite the presence of these many challenges, we have clearly seen that healthcare system, healthcare managers and even construction consultants are working day night and even performing diligently so that they can keep on upgrading medical facility designs.