10-bed portable hospital opened at NDRF campus in Ghaziabad

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has inaugurated a 10-bed portable hospital at the National Disaster Response Force's (NDRF) 8th Battalion campus in Kamla Nehru Nagar here, officials said on Sunday.

Battalion Commandant P K Srivastav told PTI that the hospital, which was opened by the minister on Saturday, is a joint venture of the CSIR-Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee in Uttarakhand and the NDRF.

The unique aspect of the facility is that the hospital infrastructure can be transported during any natural calamity to the place where it would be required. It has been designed in such a way that it can be easily dismantled and reassembled in short notice.

All the medical equipment has been designed and sponsored by CBRI while the NDRF has arranged the beds and testing machines.

The hospital will also provide an OPD facility besides equipment for blood pressure, ECG and defibrillator machines. Oxygen pipelines have also been fitted to every bed.

Keeping COVID-19 in view, an isolation ward along with quarantine facilities have also been earmarked with hand washing and sensor based sanitiser points.

To maintain the temperature, thermal insulators have also been used in the waterproof structure to ensure it can be fitted at any place and in any weather, Srivastav said.

Vardhan lauded the NDRF and their services during rescue operations in disaster-hit areas.

S N Pradhan, Director General of NDRF and CSIR DG Shekhar C Mande, who were present at the inauguration, planted saplings in the premises.