India gets Mobile Oxygen Generating Units for AFMS COVID Hospitals; IAF airlifts medical relief, doctors

Officials said the IAF has also deployed its aircraft for transportation of medical personnel and medicines to various places across the country as part of its COVID-19 response.

In view of the acute shortage of oxygen in the hospitals during the second wave of COVID-19 across the country, the Ministry of Defence has allowed import of critical oxygen generation plants and containers from Germany.

These will reach India in a week’s time and will help meet the shortage being faced by the Armed Force Medical Services (AFMS) and are expected to help provide oxygen to the COVID patients as these will be deployed in static hospitals.

India has reached out to friendly nations seeking oxygen containers and equipment to meet the growing demand due to the spike in cases.

The information about the import of the oxygen generation plants and containers from Germany was shared with the media by the official spokesperson of the MoD on Friday afternoon (April 23, 2021).

According to the official spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), “The 23 mobile oxygen generation plants are being airlifted from Germany. These are going to be deployed in AFMS hospitals catering to the COVID patients.”

The AFMS comes under the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and is headed by the Director General-AFMS who performs certain roles and responsibilities as laid down by the government.

IAF deploys its transport aircraft to provides support in fight against COVID-19

On Friday morning, C-17 and IL-76 aircraft airlifted cryogenic oxygen containers from Air Force Station Hindan all the way to Panagarh for recharging. According to IAF, similar airlifts are underway across the country — it is airlifting essential medicines, oxygen cylinders, and regulators.

The IAF has also started airlifting personnel, doctors and nursing staff to various locations across the country. Doctors and nursing staff have been airlifted from Kochi, Mumbai, Vizag and Bengaluru who helped in setting up the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) COVID hospital at Terminal 1, New Delhi.

To meet the growing demand in Delhi, the IAF sent its transport aircraft to airlift oxygen containers of DRDO from Bengaluru for the COVID centres at Delhi.

On Friday, empty tankers were sent to Bhubaneswar for Oxygen on board IAF aircraft by the government of Telengana.

And, COVID testing set up load was airlifted to Leh for UT of Ladakh by the IAF.

The 23 mobile oxygen generation plants are being airlifted from Germany. Image: IAF

Odisha Chief Minister calls PM offering help

On April 22, 2021, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over telephone and discussed the COVID situation within the country.

He extended all cooperation in the fight against the global pandemic and ramping up Oxygen production to assist other states in this critical hour.

Earlier this week …

On Tuesday, defence minister Rajnath Singh has instructed that more hospitals be set up by the DRDO in various locations including Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Varanasi and Patna and other places where required in the next few days.

As has been reported earlier by Financial Express Online, work is going on war footing to set up a 450-bed hospital in Lucknow. Also, teams from DRDO are working in setting up a 750-bed hospital in Varanasi and a 900-bed hospital in Ahmedabad.

At the direction of the government, Army hospital at Delhi Cantonment area has been converted into COVID facility with additional beds for the civil population infected with the virus in Delhi.