Navy’s critical role in India’s fight against COVID
Lying at the heart of India’s maritime power, the Indian Navy has been deployed across the spectrum in military, diplomatic, constabulary, and benign roles. With instances of natural disasters growing over the decades, the Navy has increasingly been deployed for humanitarian assistance.
Covid-19 is one such disaster that has struck the nation. And, the Indian Navy has been working shoulder-to shoulder with the government as well as NGOS to provide succor to our countrymen. Operation Samudra Setu I was undertaken by the Navy from 5th May 2020 to 8th July 2020 to repatriate Indian citizens stranded overseas due to the pandemic. During this large-scale and unique humanitarian operation, 3,992 distressed Indian nationals were evacuated on Indian Navy’s warships. In April 2021, when the surge of the second Covid wave put tremendous pressure on the country’s health infrastructure and capacity, the Navy launched Operation Samudra Setu-ii to augment the national mission for meeting medical oxygen requirements. As part of the operation, our naval ships brought back more than 1,100 MT of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) and over 17,000 oxygen cylinders apart from other medical equipment and supplies from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the West and from Brunei, Singapore and Vietnam in the East. The operation saw a unique ‘jugalbandi’, wherein the Indian Air Force dropped empty LMO tanks to filling stations in the West and the Indian Navy ferried the filled tanks back to India.
Closer home, ships from naval bases at Kochi, set up an ‘Oxygen Express’ for the Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands. Medical aid, including oxygen, was regularly transported to the islands, to assist the local population. The Navy also deployed a team of doctors and assistants along with medical supplies to augment support to the islands. In addition, 10 beds were reserved at naval hospital INHS Sanjivani at Kochi for patients from L&M, with INS Garuda the Air Station at Kochi extending facilities for emergency evacuation. No effort was spared to ensure that the local administration continued to receive all necessary supplies, even when the cyclone Tauktae was unleashing its fury in the region.
Spare capacity in terms of Covid beds was also extended to civil administration at various naval hospitals and oxygen manifolds were used to expand number of beds. A large number of personnel from the Navy were deputed for duties at Covid hospitals established at New Delhi, Patna, Ahmedabad and Kavaratti Island for providing aid to the civil population. This included 58 doctors, 30 nursing officers, 64 medical assistance and 62 Battle Field Nursing Assistance. A 60-bed Covid Care Centre was set up at INS Kalinga for treating Covid-positive patients with moderate symptoms from Bheemunipatnam Mandal and adjoining areas. A 150-bed isolation centre for mild symptomatic patients was created within the Naval Station INS Chilka, and 15 beds with oxygen facility were also made available at the co-located naval hospital INHS Nivarini. At Visakhapatnam, a 50-bed facility for Veterans and a 200-bed Covid Centre for Defence Civilians with mild to moderate symptoms were established. The Indian Navy also facilitated Covid vaccination of civilians at some locations to augment the efforts of state administration.
Whilst the ships were ferrying urgently required medical supplies and the medical teams serving the patients, the Navy’s skilled manpower took on the challenge to maximise the scarce resources. The Navy’s Diving School, which has always been working with high pressure oxygen for diving operations, conceptualised and designed an 'Oxygen Recycling System'. The Naval Dockyard,
Visakhapatnam designed and developed a Mobile Oxygen Generation Plant and christened it 'Oxygen on Wheels'. Within days of its development, the plant was provided to Palasa Covid Care Centre in Srikakulam District. During the first wave, naval innovators had designed an Air Evacuation Pod for safe aerial transportation of Covid-19 patients. These Pods are not only in use in India, but also have been provided to friendly countries in the IOR. Other innovations by naval personnel include a PPE, which could be easily manufactured at much lower cost, and a Multi feed Oxygen manifold, which enabled one cylinder to be connected to multiple patients at the same time.
Naval personnel are exposed to work in hazardous environment inside the ships, submarines, and aircraft. The experience so gained on working with high pressure air systems and fire-fighting systems was put to good use in audit of oxygen supply and firefighting systems in various states. Naval teams from Karnataka Naval Area were deployed to ensure sustained functioning of medical Oxygen infrastructure, which included audit and repair, at designated Covid-19 hospitals in all 12 Talukas of Uttara Kannada district. The Southern Naval Command at Kochi deployed teams to conduct fire safety audit of Government hospitals in various districts of Kerala. Specialist teams from Naval Dockyard at Visakhapatnam along with the District Administration jointly completed repairs and audit of Oxygen Distribution Systems and Generation Plants in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The team also repaired two major Oxygen Plants at Nellore and Shri Kalahasthi whilst also commencing ‘Skill Development Training Program’ on ‘Maintenance of Pressure Swing Adsorption Oxygen Plants’, based on discussions with the Niti Aayog.
Right from the beginning of the pandemic, India has been propagating a unified fight and stood by its neighbours. In response to requests from Friendly Foreign Countries and maritime neighbours, naval ships undertook trans-shipment of LMO and other medical equipment to various nations in IOR and SCS under Mission SAGAR. During the first wave, Indian Navy Ships and aircraft were deployed for providing relief to Comoros, Eritrea, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Sudan, Seychelles, South Sudan, Cambodia and Vietnam under the SAGAR I-IV series of deployments. Subsequently, during the second wave, based on request received from their respective governments, Covid aid was trans-shipped to Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Chittagong and Sri Lanka.
Notwithstanding the volatile situation created by our neighbours to the North and West, doctrinal precepts make the Navy agile and flexible. Military organisations and the nature of their operations relate to group and their functioning is dependent upon a common understanding of collective activities, and adherence to uniform procedures and practices. The training further adds to the ability to work under grave and stressful circumstances. These attributes have enabled the Navy to stand with our country men in the collective fight against the pandemic.