Hospitals of defence PSUs to treat civilians; 4 oxygen tanks from Singapore arrive

NEW DELHI: All health facilities of defence public sector undertakings and Ordnance Factory Board have been allowed to provide health services to civilians infected with the coronavirus. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made the announcement after reviewing the efforts being made by the Armed Forces in contributing to India’s fight against the second wave of Covid-19. He directed the Armed Forces and various other establishments of MoD to extend all possible assistance to the civilian administration.

DRDO Chairman Dr G Sathish Reddy briefed that another 250 beds will be added by Saturday evening at its Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Covid Hospital in Delhi. The addition will take the total number of beds at the facility to 500. 

A 1,000-bed hospital has become operational in Gujarat. Another treatment facility in Lucknow would become operational in the next five-six days. It would be run by the Armed Forces Medical Services in coordination with the UP government.

The Indian Air Force on Saturday brought four cryogenic tanks, to be used for transporting oxygen, from Singapore. “One C-17 IAF transport plane left for Singapore and returned in the evening with four containers of cryogenic oxygen tanks,” said Bharat Bhushan Babu, Spokesperson, MoD. 

“One C-17 transported two empty container trucks for liquid oxygen from Pune to Jamnagar and another transported two empty containers from Jodhpur to Jamnagar. One Chinook airlifted medical equipment for testing COVID from Jammu to Leh,” he added.

The IAF has positioned one empty cryogenic oxygen container from Indore to Jamnagar and another from Bhopal to Ranchi. The positioning of another empty container from Bhopal to Ranchi and two empty containers from Hindan to Ranchi was in progress late evening.