By PTI
NEW DELHI: The hospitals run by the cantonment boards in Maharashtra’s Pune, Kirkee and Deolali with a total of 304 beds have been dedicated for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, the Defence Ministry said on Friday.
“The cantonment boards’ hospitals at Pune, Kirkee and Deolali with 304 beds have been designated as dedicated COVID hospitals,” the ministry’s statement said.
A dedicated COVID health centre at Dehuroad is ready and would become functional soon, while an ICU (intensive care unit) facility with six beds is being set up at the general hospital in Kirkee, it added.
Oxygen support is available in 37 cantonment boards and they have a stock of 658 cylinders currently, as per the statement.
Around 20 lakh people reside in 62 cantonment boards across India.
Presently, 39 of the 62 boards have maintained 40 general hospitals with total 1,240 beds.
Fever clinics have been set up in all the 39 cantonment boards’ general hospitals where patients with COVID-19 symptoms are referred to designated COVID-19 treatment facilities, the ministry said.
“Rapid antigen and RT-PCR tests are being regularly organised in coordination with district administration, while vaccination centres have also been set up in most of the cantonments,” it noted.
India is struggling with the second wave of the coronavirus infection as hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds.
Public services such as health, sanitation, and primary education in a defence cantonment area are provided by the concerned cantonment board, which is a civic administration body under the Ministry of Defence.
India saw 3,86,452 new coronavirus infections in a span of 24 hours, the highest single-day rise so far, pushing the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 1,87,62,976, while active cases crossed the 31-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.
The death toll increased to 2,08,330 with 3,498 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
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