As the number of coronavirus positive cases continues to increase, the Ordnance Factory Board has designated 285 beds for isolation wards, according to the Ministry of Defence.
Indian Army, Navy and Air Force are already working relentlessly to contribute to the nation’s fight against the deadly virus. Now other arms of the ministry are also collaborating with government agencies to provide medical and logistics support.
As of now, more than 550 cases have been reported in the country.
According a statement issued by the ministry, at least 40 beds have been earmarked in hospitals at Vehicle Factory Jabalpur.
Thirty beds each at Metal and Steel Factory Ishapore, Gun and Shell Factory Cossipore, Ammunition Factory Khadki, Ordnance Factory Kanpur, Ordnance Factory Khamaria and Ordnance Factory Ambajhari have been allocated for the isolation wards.
Besides, 25 beds at Ordnance Factory Ambernath, twenty beds each at Heavy Vehicle Factory Avadi and Ordnance Factory Medak have been kept ready to handle COVID-19 infected people.
The ministry also said that the OFB is setting up these isolation wards and corresponding number of beds in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
Besides, the board is also getting itself ready to produce personal protection equipment and face masks to meet the requirements in coordination with HLL Lifecare Limited (HLL), a PSU under MoHFW, the defence ministry further added.
Meanwhile, the Army at present is operating medical facilities at Manesar, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur with evacuees from Iran, Italy and Malaysia occupying these. Evacuees from Wuhan and Japan have already been discharged after full protocol was observed. Of the over 1,200 evacuees, medical staff and air crew kept in these facilities till now, only one positive case has been reported so for. This does not include another case reported from an IAF facility in Hindon.
In addition to the above, more medical facilities of the Army at Jhansi, Binnaguri and Gaya are kept at standby with an additional collective capacity of 1,600 beds. More facilities are kept at short notice. Both the Navy and the IAF, too, have created and kept ready additional capacity.
