A day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s directive to open up health facilities to civilians for Covid treatment, defence public sector undertakings(PSU)on Sunday set up more than 650 beds besides activating health centres in 25 places in various States all over the country. The Indian Navy also deployed oxygen express to cater to island territories like Lakshadweep.
The Defence Minister on Saturday while reviewing the preparations by his ministry to fight the pandemic had ordered the PSUs and Ordnance Factories to throw open their health facilities for civilians. He also assured that the defence ministry will provide all possible help to the State Governments.
Following his directions, a 180-bed Covid care centre, with ICU, oxygen and ventilator support, set up by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is functional in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
It has also prepared a 250-bed facility in Bengaluru and handed over to municipal authorities under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). A 70-bed facility in Koraput, Odisha and a 40-bed hospital in Nasik, Maharashtra are also operational, defence ministry officials said here on Sunday.
Work has also been undertaken by the HAL to set up a 250-bed Covid care facility in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. It is expected to be operational in the first week of May. Further, the HAL is planning to provide more ventilators and oxygen points at Bangalore and Lucknow.
The Ordnance Factory Board(OFB)is providing Covid care services, including oxygen beds, at their facilities in 25 places in Maharashtra, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Odisha and Uttarakhand. It has earmarked nearly 60 per cent of its existing strength for Covid-19 care.
Giving details, officials said precisely, 813 beds out of total strength of 1,405 are now reserved for Covid patients. These facilities are in Pune, Ambernath, Nagpur, Bhandara, Chanda, Varangaon and Bhusawal in Maharashtra and at Ishapore and Kolkata in West Bengal. Other places where the OFB is providing its facilities for COVID care are Kanpur (2), Shahjahanpur (1) and Muradnagar (1) in Uttar Pradesh; Jabalpur (3), Itarsi (1) and Katni (1) in Madhya Pradesh; Avadi (1), Aruvankadu (1) and Tiruchirappalli (1) in Tamil Nadu; Medak (1) in Telangana; Dehradun (1) in Uttarakhand and Badmal (1) in Odisha.
Several defence PSUs such as Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), BEML Limited, HAL, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) have also fast-tracked procurement of oxygen plants to deliver to local government hospitals in different states under CSR.
The Indian Navy ships under Headquarters, Southern Naval Command at Kochi are progressing with the mission of Oxygen Express in order to render support to the local administration of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep (UTL), navy officials said here.
In the early hours on Sunday, INS Sharda, based at Kochi, undertook transfer of essential medical supplies to Kavaratti, Lakshadweep.
The stores consisted of 35 Oxygen cylinders, Rapid Antigen Detection Test (RADT) kits, Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE), masks and other items to fight the COVID 19 pandemic. The disembarkation of stores was coordinated by personnel from INS Dweeprakshak at Kavaratti. The ship then continued with her mission to the island of Minicoy for disembarkation of Oxygen cylinders and medical supplies.
Additionally, 41 empty Oxygen cylinders from the islands have been embarked onboard Indian Navy hired vessel, Meghna. The vessel is now headed to Kochi for refilling of the empty cylinders and will head back to Lakshadweep with filled cylinders soon to ensure that the Oxygen Express continues unabated.
To assist the civil administration in fighting COVID 19 at the island of Kadmat, a naval contingent comprising one doctor, two Medical Assistants and one additional sailor reached Kadmat on Sunday.
The Southern Naval command headquarters have also reserved ten beds including ICU facilities for patients from Lakshadweep at INHS Sanjivani, Kochi to cater for shortages in beds at the islands. Also, Naval Air Station INS Garuda has also been placed on alert to extend Naval airfield facilities for Lakshadweep helicopters ferrying patients.
Air evacuation pods developed indigenously by the Naval Aircraft Yard, Kochi to airlift COVID-19 patients from the Islands as well as from elsewhere are also being made ready for emergency requirements.