NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MARCH 27
The Armed Forces have been working relentlessly to provide medical and logistics support to civil authorities in the country’s fight against COVID-19 pandemic. The Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) has deployed all resources at its disposal to aid the civilian authorities, shouldering responsibility in the time of extraordinary crisis, a Defence spokesperson said.
#NationalCadetCorps #Gujarat #Surendranagar 26Bn motivates to stay strong StayHome #21daysLockdown#COVID19#SayNo2Panic#SayYes2Precautions#MoDAgainstCorona @SpokespersonMoD @HQ_DG_NCC @PIBAhmedabad @airnews_abad @PMOIndia @MoHFW_INDIA @drajaykumar_ias pic.twitter.com/YKSHNifXBs
— PRO Defence Gujarat (@DefencePRO_Guj) March 26, 2020
Six quarantine facilities run by the Armed Forces are currently operational at Manesar, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Chennai, Hindan and Mumbai. So far, a total of 1,463 people, including foreigners, evacuated from COVID-19-affected countries have been housed and observed at these centres. Of them, 1,073 persons are presently under quarantine and being provided with proper care. These include evacuees from Iran, Italy, Japan, and Malaysia, besides the IAF and medical crew. Three hundred ninety evacuees from China, Japan, and IAF evacuation flight crew have been discharged following completion of their mandatory quarantine period.
#NationalCadetCorps #Gujarat 26Bn cadets ask citizens to stay inside #UnityAndDiscipline#COVID19#SayNo2Panic#SayYes2Precautions#MoDAgainstCorona @SpokespersonMoD @HQ_DG_NCC @DDNewsGujarati @PIBAhmedabad @airnews_abad @PMOIndia @MoHFW_INDIA @drajaykumar_ias pic.twitter.com/IP5V33cHqN
— PRO Defence Gujarat (@DefencePRO_Guj) March 25, 2020
3 positive cases referred to Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi
Three positive COVID-19 cases have been reported, so far – two from Hindan and one from Manesar. They were referred to Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi for further treatment.
In addition to the active quarantine centres, more facilities have been readied and may be made operational within 48-72 hours, if needed. These facilities are at Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Kochi, Dundigal near Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kanpur, Jaisalmer, Jorhat, and Gorakhpur.
Our unprecedented unity is our strength against #COVID2019. Awam of #Kashmir extends heartfelt gratitude to #ChinarCorps for their timely & persistent efforts to spread awareness & prevent #CoronaVirusPandemic.#IndianArmy #AwamAurJawan #CoronaMuktAwam@adgpi @NorthernComd_IA pic.twitter.com/USQevoizON
— Chinar Corps🍁 – Indian Army (@ChinarcorpsIA) March 27, 2020
28 Service Hospitals have been earmarked as COVID hospitals: DG AFMS
Interacting with media here on Friday, Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) Lt Gen Anup Banerji said, 28 Service Hospitals have been earmarked as COVID hospitals for managing purely Coronavirus cases. This will include Armed Forces as well as civilian patients transferred from state health authorities, in case their capacity is overwhelmed. He added that as of now, there are five hospitals across the Army, Navy and Air Force that can carry out the COVID test. These include Army Hospital Research and Referral, Delhi; Command Hospital Air Force, Bangalore and Armed Forces Medical College, Pune; Command Hospital (Central Command) Lucknow; Command Hospital (Northern Command) Udhampur. Six more hospitals are being equipped shortly with the resources to begin testing.
We are also ensuring deep sanitisation for all religious places ,public offices and even public vehicles.stay home stay safe! Ahmedabad cantt board is with you #IndiaFightsCorona @adgcantts_dgde@SpokespersonMoD@DefencePRO_Guj
@canttindia pic.twitter.com/swQnC3EZWy— Ahmedabad Cantonment Board (@cbahmedabad) March 27, 2020
DH AFMS says only one serving soldier has been tested positive
Lt Gen Banerji also informed that as of now, only one serving soldier has been tested positive of COVID-19. He was on leave at his home in Leh, taking care of his father who had returned recently from Iran and suffering from COVID. The soldier has recovered. The DG AFMS added that isolation wards at peripheral hospitals have been activated at Army formations along Line of Control and Line of Actual Control.
Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh chairing a review meeting on MoD’s preparedness for tackling the COVID-19 menace.#IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/Zz39JUR7Wl
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) March 26, 2020
“Intensive information, education and communication campaigns are going on for serving personnel. Leave extension of those on leave as well as curtailment of leave to bare minimum have been imposed. Segregation facilities have been set up to observe troops already back from leave from various states,” he said.
Army Medical Corps lends a helping hand to friendly countries
A 14-member team of medical officers and paramedical staff of Army Medical Corps was sent to the Maldives for capacity building measures and assist in setting up their testing, treatment and quarantine capacities. The team stayed in the Maldives for 10 days and returned on Monday, March 23, 2020. Lt Gen Banerji said, apart from the Maldives, AFMS is ready to dispatch a Rapid Response Team to Nepal for assisting them with the COVID situation there. He added that other assistance for other countries will be provided as and when required.
#हरकामदेशकेनाम#IndianNavy Mobilises IL 38 aircraft to transport 60,000 Face Masks from Delhi to Goa to meet the urgent requirements for the health workers & hospitals in Goa (1/2).#COVID19#MoDAgainstCorona#IndiaFightsCoronahttps://t.co/zPBQHBO1cO pic.twitter.com/SPQsAPA6vv
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) March 27, 2020
On the availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the DG AFMS said, it is a challenge at national as well as global level, adding that advisory for rational usage of PPE has been issued to the Services.
“The AFMS is presently geared up with adequate PPEs for use in our hospitals. Additional procurement is also being planned to tide over crisis foreseen during the coming weeks and months since the Armed Forces have been directed to augment medical resources for the civil health set up also,” he added.
The AFMS has suggested setting up of medical facilities within train coaches in case of any eventuality. Twenty-eight AFMS hospitals across various states have also been identified to be transformed into dedicated COVID hospitals. Various advisories have been issued by AFMS on social distancing, cancellation of courses and training, use of masks, preventive measures to be taken at workplace and guidelines on COVID surveillance and contact tracing.
