Indian Army's Western Command sets up three COVID hospitals under Operation Namaste

Lieutenant General RP Singh, Army Commander of Western Command on May 10 announced operationalizing of three COVID-19 hospitals, one in each Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh as a part of the country’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic. In addendum to treating COVID patients, all the three hospitals also have the facilities of basic laboratory, X-ray, pharmacy and cafeteria. These hospitals have been set up under the Indian Army's “Operation Namaste”, launched in March this year to fight COVID-19. 

The three hospitals have been operationalized at the international hostel in Punjab University in Chandigarh, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hospital, Faridabad and Rajindra Government Hospital, Patiala. All three hospitals are equipped to treat coronavirus patients showing mild to moderate symptoms, the army said in a Press Release. While the hospital in Chandigarh was inaugurated on May 10, those in Faridabad and Patiala are scheduled to open on May 11 and May 12 respectively.

Trained doctors, nursing staff as well as paramedics have been deployed at each of the hospitals and would treat patients as per the ICMR guidelines. While ambulances and management personnel have been deployed by the force, the administration is felicitating essential including uninterrupted oxygen supply, patient admission and discharge as well as additional ambulance services. The hospitals would be open to all citizens and coordinated by the CMO of their respective districts.  

Indian Army’s fight against COVID

Ever since the COVID pandemic began, the army has been valiantly contributing its bid to the battle. Last year, the army helped in the construction of quarantine facilities in various infection-hit areas. Additionally, it also aided the repatriation operations to bring stranded citizens back amidst international travel bans. It also deployed significant medical resources to assist civil authorities especially at five civil hospitals ar Delhi, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Varanasi and Patna.

More recently, it has set up a COVID management cell to coordinate real-time responses amidst climbing caseload. The Indian Army also said that assistance to civil administration in Delhi is already being provided in the form of testing, admissions in military hospitals and transportation of critical medical equipment.

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