DRDO to set up COVID-19 hospitals in Lucknow, Varanasi and Ahmedabad

Representational Image (Credits: PTI)

New Delhi: The Chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Dr G Satheesh Reddy on Tuesday (April 20) announced that the work to set up a 450-bed hospital in Lucknow, a 750-bed hospital in Varanasi and a 900-bed hospital in Ahmedabad is going on in full swing, amid the unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases.

The defence ministry statement in its statement revealed that the construction of COVID-19 care hospital at Awadh Shilp Gram in Lucknow is on a war footing. The officials on Tuesday said that the facility will have ICU wards with ventilators along with oxygen beds as well for COVID-19 patients.

Pucca structure is being used to build the wards of the hospital, which has all state-of-the-art medical facilities under one roof.

DRDO has also set up a facility in New Delhi, which has all oxygen beds, a large number of ventilators, zero charges, basic testing facilities and air-conditioning, as per WHO standards, is free of cost.

DRDO has also developed SpO2 (Blood Oxygen Saturation) supplemental Oxygen Delivery which can be used for moderate COVID patients for oxygen flow therapy and soldiers posted at extreme high-altitude areas. 

Meanwhile, India registered 2,59,170 new COVID-19 cases and 1,761 deaths in the last 24 hours, the data by the Union Health Ministry showed on Tuesday (April 20, 2021) morning.

The COVID-19 situation in India has been worsening amid the second wave of coronavirus infections. For the past four days, the country has been reporting in excess of two lakh coronavirus infections and over 1,000 related deaths on a daily basis.

(With Agency inputs)