Defence PSUs, OFB join fight against COVID-19

Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and the Ordnance Factory Board have pitched in to shore up India's fight against COVID-19.

The OFB has planned for 280 isolation beds across 10 hospitals spread over six states in the country.

They are located at Vehicle Factory Jabalpur, Metal and Steel Factory Ishapore (West Bengal), Gun and Shell Factory Cossipore (West Bengal), Ammunition Factory Khadki (Maharashtra), Ordnance Factory Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Ordnance Factory Khamaria, Heavy Vehicle Factory Avadi (Tamil Nadu) and Ordnance Factory Medak (Telangana), the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bengaluru has an isolation ward facility with three beds in intensive care units and 30 beds in wards. In addition, a building having 30 rooms was readied. In all, 93 people can be accommodated at the HAL facility, the statement said.

The OFB has manufactured and dispatched 50 specialised tents for COVID-19 patients to the Arunachal Pradesh government.

Besides, development and production of hand sanitisers as per the WHO standards have been undertaken in the factories of OFB.

Also, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has stepped in at the request of the Ministry Health and Family Welfare to manufacture and supply 30,000 ventilators for ICUs within the next two months, the statement said.

The design of these ventilators was originally developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, which was improved upon by Skanray, Mysore, with whom BEL has collaborated.

Ordnance Factory, Medak has undertaken repair of ventilators in various hospitals in Hyderabad, the statement said.