As the number of coronavirus cases inch towards the 2,000 mark in India states and other authorities are ramping up efforts to fight the outbreak. Railways have turned coaches into isolation wards and now the army has come forth with help too.?
The armed forces have 9,000 hospital beds, ready to treat Covid-19 patients. There are more than 8,500 doctors and support staff to provide with necessary assistance to civilian administrations, TOI reports.
Military aircrafts have transported about 25 tonne of medical supplies around the country just in the last three days.
1.5 lakh litres of sanitiser was provided to different organisations by DRDO, which is now making five-layered nano technology N99 face masks and PPE (personal protective equipment) on a war-footing.?
Defence minister Rajnath Singh asked the Army,?Navy and IAF, DRDO, defence PSUs and Ordnance Factory Board to ¡®redouble their work¡¯ in relation to medical care, evacuation, quarantine facilities and production of medical equipment.?
¡°DRDO has also supplied 40,000 other face masks to the Delhi Police. A DRDO lab has also made arrangements to make 20,000 PPE per day. We also engaged in minor modification of ventilators so that one machine can support four patients at the same time,¡± TOI quoted DRDO chief Dr G Satheesh Reddy as saying.?
He also said that his organisation has made 10,000 N99 masks and the daily production will reach 20,000 soon.?
Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, said that 28 military hospitals, with more that 9,000 beds, are exclusively ready for Covid-19 patients.
Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh on his part said, ¡®warships were on standby to extend assistance to civil administrations¡¯.?The IAF, on its part, has airlifted medical supplies from Delhi, Surat and Chandigarh to Manipur, Nagaland, J&K and Ladakh.
¡°Regular airlift of Covid-19 test samples from Ladakh to Delhi is also being carried out. IAF is adequately geared up to meet all the emerging demands, with aircraft like C-17s, C-130Js, AN-32s, Avros and Dorniers being tasked as and when required basis,¡± TOI quoted Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria as saying.?Army chief General M M Naravane, said 8,500 doctors and support staff are ready to extend necessary assistance to civilian administrations.?
Plans to provide help to neighbouring countries like Nepal are also underway.?The army has yet again proven to be efficient in the country¡¯s fight against a problem- this time a pandemic.?