New Delhi: Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane has said that more than 8,500 military doctors and support staff are ready to extend assistance to the Central government to fight the coronavirus pandemic. He made the statement while attending a video conference which was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to review the ministry’s efforts to fight the novel coronavirus. The Indian Army has alerted retired health professionals to stay prepared in this time of crisis.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat told Rajnath that the Armed Forces have made more than 9,000 hospital beds available for COVID -19 cases and separate hospitals have been earmarked to exclusively deal with the infected persons. The Armed Forces have earmarked 28 service hospitals for managing such cases. Bipin Rawat also informed that five hospitals run by the Armed Forces are equipped to carry out COVID-19 tests and six more would be added to the list soon.
“Over 1,000 evacuees are quarantined at facilities in Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Chennai, Manesar, Hindan and Mumbai. Their quarantine period will end by April 7. Then these facilities will again be available for persons who are to be placed in quarantine,” Rawat informed Rajnath Singh and other officials of the top military and ministry brass.
Last week, the Indian Army said it was prepared to extend its network of military hospitals and laboratory facilities to the civil administration to assist it in COVID-19 hotspots.
Lieutenant General Anup Banerji, who heads the Armed Forces Medical Services, said, “Retired health professionals have also been kept in readiness to volunteer their services. Necessary equipment has been procured and dispatched to various hospitals.”
Around 25,000 National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets are being mobilised to provide necessary local assistance, said a Defence Ministry release. Rajnath Singh stated that they can be used by all the states hit by the pandemic coronavirus.
Indian Air Force (IAF) head Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said the air force had flown 25 tonne of medical supplies during the last five days. He stressed that critical operational work was being undertaken with all necessary precautions. The essential medical supplies airlifted by the IAF include personal protective equipment (PPE), sanitisers, surgical gloves and thermal scanners, apart from medical personnel.
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief G Satheesh Reddy told Rajnath Singh and others that a five-layered nanotechnology face mask ‘N99’ was being manufactured on war-footing. He said 10,000 masks have already been made and production would soon be raised to 20,000 masks daily. He said 50,000 litres of sanitisers made by DRDO labs have been supplied to various security entities, including Delhi Police. DRDO labs have also supplied 40,000 face masks of another variety to Delhi Police. DRDO has also made arrangements to manufacture 20,000 PPE kits per day.
Agencies
