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Three Indian warships arrive with critical Covid-19 equipment from abroad
The warships brought in empty cryogenic oxygen tanks, oxygen-filled cylinders, oxygen concentrators, rapid antigen test kits and personal protective equipment from Qatar, Kuwait and Singapore
Three Indian warships on Monday arrived at Indian ports with critical equipment from foreign countries to strengthen the country’s fight against the devastating second wave of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), officials familiar with the military’s efforts for Covid relief said.
The warships brought in empty cryogenic oxygen tanks, oxygen-filled cylinders, oxygen concentrators, rapid antigen test kits and personal protective equipment from Qatar, Kuwait and Singapore. The navy has assigned several of its warships -- nine, at the last count -- to ferry critical stores from countries in the Middle East and South-East Asia under Operation Samudra Setu-II.
While INS Airavat shipped eight empty cryogenic oxygen tanks and 3,898 oxygen cylinders from Singapore to Visakhapatnam, INS Kolkata and INS Trikand transported supplies from Qatar and Kuwait to New Mangalore and Mumbai, navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.
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The cargo ferried by INS Kolkata included two 27-MT oxygen-filled containers, 400 oxygen cylinders and 47 oxygen concentrators from Qatar and Kuwait, while INS Trikand reached Mumbai with 40 MT of liquid oxygen from Qatar.
The armed forces have been at the forefront of the fight against the deadly disease, and have helped meet the exploding demand for oxygen, set up Covid hospitals and opened doors of military hospitals to civilians.
“As of May 10, the Indian Air Force has carried out 84 international sorties, airlifting 81 cryogenic oxygen containers with a capacity of 1,407 MT along with 1,252 empty oxygen cylinders, 705 oxygen concentrators and Zeolite (respiratory oxygen raw material),” the defence ministry said on Monday.
The IAF has airlifted the stores from several countries including Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Australia, Indonesia and Israel.
Domestically, the IAF has carried out 534 sorties, airlifting 336 oxygen containers with a total capacity of 6,420 MT and other medical supplies till May 10, the ministry said in a statement.
Domestic shuttles have covered Jamnagar, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Panagarh, Indore, Ranchi, Agra, Jodhpur, Begumpet, Bhubaneshwar, Pune, Surat, Raipur, Udaipur, Mumbai, Lucknow, Nagpur, Gwalior, Vijayawada, Baroda, Dimapur and Hindan.
The IAF has deployed eight C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, four IL-76s, 10 C-130J Super Hercules special operations aircraft, 20 An-32 transport planes, 10 Dornier aircraft and 20 helicopters for Covid-related duties.
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IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria has ordered “24x7 readiness” of the air force’s entire heavy-lift fleet and substantial numbers of the medium-lift fleet to operate in a hub and spoke model for Covid-related duties.
The army is helping civilian authorities set up and run Covid facilities, treating civilians at military hospitals and providing medical specialists, super specialists and paramedics for adequate staffing at non-military hospitals. It has also set up a Covid management cell under a three-star general to help civilian authorities.
The cell is headed by the Director General of Operational Logistics and Strategic Movement, who reports directly to the vice chief. The main responsibility of the cell is to coordinate Covid-related logistics support across the country. The army is also liaising with state governments to help them deal with the unprecedented surge in Covid-19 cases.
The army has set up a 100-bed Covid hospital at Faridabad in Haryana in coordination with the Haryana government. The hospital will be functional from Tuesday, the officials said.
