The Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) are extending all possible assistance to the civil administration/state governments in the fight against the recent spike in COVID-19 cases across the country, the Defence Ministry said on Sunday.
In this hour of crisis, they are catering to the civilian population from their existing services in coordination with the state governments, as directed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in recently held review meetings, said the ministry.
As per the ministry, a 180-bed COVID care centre, with ICU, oxygen and ventilator support, set up by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is functional in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The DPSU has also prepared a 250-bed facility in Bengaluru and handed it over to municipal authorities under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
It further stated that a 70-bed facility in Koraput, Odisha and a 40-bed hospital in Nasik, Maharashtra are also operational.
The ministry informed that work has also been undertaken by HAL to set up a 250-bed COVID care facility in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, adding that it is expected to be operational in the first week of May.
Further, HAL is planning to provide more ventilators and oxygen points at Bangalore and Lucknow, said the ministry.
According to the Defence Ministry, the 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.
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, said the ministry.
It further stated that other places where OFB is providing its facilities for COVID care are Kanpur, Shahjahanpur and Muradnagar in Uttar Pradesh; Jabalpur, Itarsi and Katni in Madhya Pradesh; Avadi, Aruvankadu and Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu; Medak in Telangana; Dehradun in Uttarakhand and Badmal in Odisha.
Several DPSUs such as Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), BEML Limited, HAL, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Limited and Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDH), have also fast-tracked procurement of oxygen plants to deliver to local government hospitals in different states under CSR, stated the ministry.
( With inputs from ANI )
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