NEW DELHI: All health facilities of nine defence PSUs and the 41 factories under the Ordnance Factory Board have been asked to provide help to civilians, even as the armed forces have cranked up their assistance to state governments in battling the Covid pandemic across the country
“The armed forces and the defence ministry will leave no stone unturned in providing all possible assistance to the civil administrations,” said defence minister
Rajnath Singh, after a review meeting on Saturday.
The IAF airlifted the first lot of four empty cryogenic oxygen cylinders from Singapore on Saturday, while its C-17 Globemaster-III and IL-76 heavy-lift aircraft continued to transport such large tankers from their place of use in the country to oxygen plants and filling stations to cut delays.
While the four cylinders from Singapore were offloaded at Panagarh in West Bengal, C-17s transported two empty container trucks for liquid oxygen from Pune to Jamnagar and another from Jodhpur to Jamnagar
Airlift of loaded liquid oxygen tankers is not being carried out because it can be potentially hazardous if the aircraft suddenly loses cabin pressure at high altitude, as was earlier reported by TOI.
A Chinook heavy-lift helicopter also airlifted 850-kg load of medical equipment for Covid testing from Jammu to Leh. Naval warships are also being kept on standby for any assistance in moving oxygen tankers. INS Sharda, for instance, has been deputed as the “oxygen express” to ferry cylinders to Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands.
DRDO chief Dr Satheesh Reddy said the number of beds at the Sadar Vallabhbhai Patel Covid facility in Delhi has been increased from 250 to 500, while the 1,000-bed hospital at Ahmedabad is fully operational now.
“Similarly, the 450-bed hospital at Lucknow would become operational in the next five to six days. It will be run by the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) in coordination with the UP government,” said an official.
“As the AFMS has its resources stretched to the limit, services of local doctors and health professionals might be enlisted for the 750-bed hospital that is coming up at Varanasi,” he added.