As India has just
stepped out from the trauma of the second wave of Covid-19, experts still warn of
third wave that could be even more dangerous than this. During the second
wave of the pandemic, a sudden hue and cry related to the shortage of hospital beds,
medical oxygen etc were made, this time India is gearing up to battle against
another wave if it comes up.
India has started installing pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants across different hospitals in the nation along with the establishment of modular hospitals with ‘Project O2’.
All the preparedness work has begun under the supervision of Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) and the health ministry.
According to the initial information released by DRDO, a total of 850 oxygen plants are being set up in various districts of the country from the PM Cares Fund to cater to the needs of the country in its fight against the pandemic.
Dr C Satish Reddy, Secretary of DRDO, said at the Department of Science & Technology’s Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Discourse Series that DRDO is prepared to provide all kinds of support when the need arises.
“During the second wave, we established temporary hospitals specific to Covid-19 in many cities. These are modular hospitals, also called ‘flying hospitals’, and they have been made in such a way that the virus does not go out of the hospitals. If there is a third wave, all hospitals will take the load and the government is discussing these aspects with various stakeholders,” said Dr Reddy.
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What are modular hospitals?
Basically, modular hospitals are an extension of hospital infrastructure and can be built adjacent to an existing hospital building. Project Extension Hospitals is one example of hospitals. During the second wave of the pandemic in India, medical facilities were overburdened and in order to cater to the needs of the public, govt set up 50 hospitals in states that were worst affected by the infection.
What is Project O2?
As India lost an overwhelming number of lives due to acute scarcity of medical oxygen, the govt now aims at strengthening its production to ensure an adequate supply when in need.
Under the Project O2 for India, a National Consortium of Oxygen is enabling the national-level supply of critical raw materials such as zeolites, setting up of small oxygen plants, manufacturing compressors, concentrators, and ventilators.
Moreover, experts group/committee critical equipment such as oxygen plants, concentrators, and ventilators from a pool of India-based manufacturers, start-ups, and MSMEs.
What are MediCAB Hospitals?
Modulus Housing, an Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) start-up, developed MediCAB hospitals. Under this initiative, a 100-bedded hospital extension could be established in up to three weeks’ time.
These MediCAB hospitals will be laced with all necessary equipment which includes a dedicated intensive care unit (ICU) along with life support equipment and medical devices.
According to the reports, these hospitals are quite durable and can have a life of around 25 years. Interestingly, MediCAB hospitals are portable and can be placed to tackle a disaster anywhere in less than a week.
Where will MediCAB Hospitals be made?
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Due to its portability, these hospitals can lessen the wedge between the medical infrastructure in tough times just like ‘second wave of Covid-19.’
The main focus of the government is to deploy these hospitals in rural and smaller towns. In order to timely implement these projects in different regions of the country, the office of the Principal Scientific Adviser has been actively working towards securing corporate social responsibility financial support.
To set up MediCAB hospitals, Modulus Housing has sought of American Indian Foundation, Mastercard, Texas Instruments, Zscaler, PNB Housing, Goldman Sachs, Lenovo, and NASSCOM Foundation.
Notably, the first batch of 100-bedded hospitals will be deployed in Bilaspur, Amravati, Pune, Jalna, Mohali, and a 20-bed hospital in Raipur. While in Bengaluru one each of 20, 50, and 100 bedded hospitals will be in the first phase.
In a move to further expand the hospitals at multiple sites in Punjab and Chhattisgarh, the Centre has also tied up with Tata Projects. They have initiated work on 48-bedded modular hospitals in Gurdaspur and Faridkot. Moreover, expansion of the ICU at multiple hospitals in Chhattisgarh is also underway.