Ministry of Defence announces 285 beds earmarked by OFB for COVID-19 cases

In order the increase the preparedness in handling the Coronavirus outbreak in the country, the Ministry of Defence announced that 285 beds had been designated by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).

In a press release, the Ministry of Defence said, "Forty beds have been earmarked in hospitals at Vehicle Factory Jabalpur, thirty beds each at Metal and Steel Factory Ishapore, Gun and Shell Factory Cossipore, Ammunition Factory Khadki, Ordnance Factory Kanpur, Ordnance Factory Khamaria, Ordnance Factory Ambajhari, 25 beds at Ordnance Factory Ambernath and twenty beds each at Heavy Vehicle Factory Avadi and Ordnance Factory Medak."

Read: 32 CAPF Hospitals With 1,900 Beds Earmarked To Treat Pandemic COVID-19 Patients 

"Setting up of isolation ward and the corresponding number of beds in OFB hospitals. This has been done by Chairman OFB as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) instructions in the Cabinet Secretary's meeting yesterday," the statement added.

Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Maha Govt Announces 63 Cases, Says, 'over 250 Beds For Isolation'

1,900 Beds Earmarked in Paramilitary Hospitals

Previously, the government had announced that a chain of 32 paramilitary forces hospitals across the country, with a total capacity of about 1,900 beds, have been taken over for isolation and treatment of COVID-19 patients. 

The "urgent" decision to use the ''composite hospitals'' of these forces, also called as the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), was taken after a high-level meeting of the Union Home Ministry that was chaired by the secretary of border management, reported news agency PTI. 

These 32 hospitals are operated by forces like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and are located at places like Greater Noida, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Jammu, Tekanpur (Gwalior), Dimpaur, Imphal, Nagpur, Silchar, Bhopal, Avadi, Jodhpur, Kolkata, Pune and Bengaluru, among others.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India has reported about 536 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. Eleven people have died so far due to the deadly virus.

Read: BREAKING: PM Modi's Cabinet Applies Social Distancing In First Meet In COVID Lockdown

Read: Home Ministry To Hold Daily Emergency Meeting On Coronavirus Lockdown By Videoconferencing

(With Agency Inputs, Representative image- ANI)