Covid 19 - Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Facility This project is to build, operationalise and manage a 5 bed Covid-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on the UNOCA compound in Kabul, Afghanistan in order to address the current shortfall in intensive care capacity for the NGO, diplomatic and UN community.  

This is an emergency requirement required to encourage the international humanitarian community to 'stay and deliver'.

The project will be implemented and managed by UNOPS. The project has four main pillars as follows: 
   
	Building facilities (real estate) for the ICU
	Medical equipment, supplies and catering for the ICU.
	Staffing for the ICU 
	Accommodation for the ICU staff    

UNOPS has identified an international medical ‘turn-key’ medical provider (Iqarus) with the required infrastructure, equipment, professional medical staff and medicines for Covid-19 treatment. 

UNOPS will hire a specialist ICU facility Doctor (IICA2 / P3), separate to Iqarus, to provide quality assurance and medical guidance to UNOPS.
The 5 bed ICU unit will be manned 24/7 by on-call doctors, nurses and life support medics. 
There will be an x-ray capability and a lab technician able to conduct the relevant haematology and bio-chem testing required. 
There will be an attached laundry to deal with in-house linen and uniform cleaning. 
There will be an incinerator to deal specifically with Covid-19 clinical waste. 
There will also be an armoured ambulance and paramedics in order to safely collect patients from outside and bring them to the facility for treatment.  
The facility will have 5 x patient beds fully equipped with the correct equipment to treat Covid 19 patients requiring intensive care and mechanical ventilation systems in order to save their lives.  
The equipment and infrastructure provided shall be of the highest international standards in line with WHO guidelines.

The ICU facility will be located right next to the Joint Medical Services (JMS) building on the UNOCA compound in Kabul that will allow for a very practical partnership to grow between the JMS and the ICU facility medical staff.  It will also allow the JMS's Chief Medical Officer and other JMS staff to help conduct the relevant quality of health cover checks required for UN staff use as potential patients of the ICU.  

In terms of timelines, the project has allocated 3 months after funds are released from the AHF to UNOPS in order to get the ICU assembled and commissioned.  However, so much work has gone in to the preparation off official project time, that we should be in a position to complete within a much shorter time period, perhaps two months after funds being received.  For example, the turnkey medical provider has been identified as Iqarus.  All costs have been confirmed.   Stringent design reviews are near completion and will be ready to go by the time funds come on board.  All the detail, the planning, and relevant checks and balances have been conducted.  The RFQ's are out for the minor works contracts and will be ready to sign off once the money is with UNOPS.  Iqarus are already registered and allowed to practice with the Ministry of Public Health.  It is now a question of launching the technical output of the project.  As soon as the money comes on board, UNOPS is ready to break ground and start the site development.

Mitigation of future delays:
1. Work closely with UNDSS, JMS and UNAMA Mission Support in order to facilitate the ICU construction and operational phases as much as possible.
2. Ensure all Health and Safety guidelines are adhered to strictly.
3. Provide as much support as possible to the contractors to get them on site.
4. Ensure proper financial management is in place to ensure funds are paid out on time in order to allow the contractors to proceed.
5. Ensure all project procedures are in place.
6. Instigate the communications management approach and keep all stakeholders informed of what's going on at all times.