IAF orders round-the-clock readiness for entire heavy-lift fleet to meet Covid-19 tasks

Aircrew for all fleets have been augmented to ensure round-the-clock operations

Scaling up their contribution in fighting the alarming rise of Covid-19 cases, Indian Air Force has ordered round-the-clock readiness of its entire heavy-lift fleet and substantial numbers of its medium-lift fleets to meet Covid-19 related tasks while DRDO has initiated the moves to set up 500 medical oxygen plants within the next three months from the allocation made by the PM Cares Fund.

DRDO will be using the technology developed for on-board oxygen generation for light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas. The transfer of MOP technology has been done to Bengaluru-based Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Coimbatore-based Trident Pneumatics, which together will set up 380 plants.

A statement issued by DRDO mentioned that 120 plants of 500 litres per minute capacity will be set up by industries working with the Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun.

The MOP of the DRDO is designed to generate 1,000 litres oxygen per minute and the system caters for 190 patients at a flow rate of 5 litres per minute and can charge 195 cylinders per day.

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The MOP technology will be useful to provide oxygen supply during Corona Pandemic in hospitals in urban and rural areas. Hospitals will be able to generate on site medical oxygen, in a cost-effective manner with this oxygen plant rather than depending upon sourcing it from other places.

The installation of this plant helps in avoiding hospital dependency on scarce oxygen cylinders especially at high altitude and inaccessible remote areas. MOP has already been installed at some of the Army sites in the North East and Leh-Ladakh region.

Meanwhile as Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the Covid related operations by Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria informed the government that the Air Force is deploying big as well as medium-sized aircraft to cover all terrains, the PMO said in a statement.

IAF is also setting up a dedicated Covid Air Support Cell to ensure faster coordination with different ministries and agencies on Covid-19 related operations.

A PMO statement said that Bhadauria informed the Prime Minister that hospitals under the IAF have increased Covid-19 facilities and are also allowing civilians wherever possible.

Meanwhile Indian Army has created a number of Covid facilities including one at Base Hospital Delhi Cantonment (BHDC) where the entire hospital has been converted into a Covid hospital with comprehensive arrangements for providing critical care to all incoming patients.

At the start of the current Covid wave, the Base Hospital catered for 340 Covid beds of which just 250 beds were oxygenated. Later it was decided to expand the capacity to 650 Covid beds of which 450 beds are oxygenated.. The next phase of expansion will see the present capacity being augmented to 900 oxygenated beds by the second week of June 2021.