Amid an abrupt spike in COVID-19 cases in Jammu Kashmir, the army in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district has prepared 40-bedded separate COVID-19 designated hospitals to help the administration mitigate the crisis.
An official said, that as part of its mission to support the population of Kashmir, the army has established a 15-bedded High Dependency Unit (HDU) for COVID-19 patients each in Baramulla and Uri district, while 5 beds will be for critical care at both hospitals.
He said, the hospital will function in collaboration with the civil administration Baramulla and is primarily aimed to provide oxygen support and non-invasive ventilatory support for mild to moderate COVID-19 patients.
“The facility will be functional from Monday,” the official said.
He also said programs like Khairiyat Patrols are held where local Army establishments are sending patrol parties along with medical persons to villages for distribution of medicines, masks, sanitizers, PPE kits and other items which are essential to fight the COVID-19 Virus.
He informed that similar facilities are also under preparation in other remote areas to help and support patients during the COVID-19 crisis.
Meanwhile, Colonel Paul Varghese, Army’s medical spokesperson said, to help the health authorities and Kashmiri Awam, 20 bedded hospitals have been started in Baramulla and Uri.
He said, “We have seen people suffer for want of oxygen in parts of India and given the same two separate 40-bedded hospitals has been made functional to facilitate civilian population of which 5 each will be critical care beds.”
He said that they will be in touch with the health authorities to ensure the people of Kashmir don’t have to suffer for treatment.
Notably, in April Defence Minister of India Rajnath Singh said that Armed Forces, DPSUs, Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) as well as Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) have been called to assist the state governments.
He had said that the army has been asked to work on a war footing and to provide oxygen cylinders and extra beds to both civil administration/state governments at the earliest—(KNO)