600 doctors of forces set to join Covid fight

NEW DELHI: The armed forces are marshalling 600 additional doctors, including recalling retired military doctors, through special measures to help fight the unrelenting spread of the Covid-19 outbreak across the country, the military’s top brass told Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday.

Singh reviewed the efforts of the defence ministry and the armed forces in the fight against the crisis, in a virtual meeting with the chief of defence staff, the three service chiefs, the defence secretary, the Defence Research and Development Organisation chief and others.

According to a statement issued by the defence ministry, Singh was informed that the army has arranged more than 720 beds for civilians in various states and the navy has deployed 200 battlefield nursing assistants at various Covid hospitals. “As on May 1, the IAF carried out 28 sorties from abroad, airlifting 47 oxygen containers with a capacity of 830 MT. Within the country, it carried out 158 sorties, airlifting 109 containers with a capacity of 2,271 MT,” it said.

Defence public sector undertakings are procuring 28 oxygen generating plants and other medical equipment worth ₹40 crore under their corporate social responsibility scheme to support several hospitals.