Barmer, June 2021.

As part of its commitment to support the Rajasthan government in the fight against Covid-19, Vedanta on Friday announced the set- up of a 100-bed field hospital in Barmer, Rajasthan. The 100-bed state-of-the-art air-conditioned hospital, which has been established in the Senior Secondary Government School in Barmer, was inaugurated by Shri Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajasthan.

A joint initiative of Cairn Oil & Gas, Vedanta and District Administration of Barmer, the field hospital hosts 90 beds with oxygen support and 10 beds with ventilator support for critical patients. It is equipped with world-class technologies and ensures strict adherence to safety.

To arrest air transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, HEPA filters have been used in the field hospital. This technology combats the spread of airborne bacterial and viral organisms while filtering the air to 99.99% purity. In addition, overall safety and hygiene are being monitored with provisions for dedicated PPE changing stations, adequate number of fire extinguishers, CCTV cameras, continuous power supply through DG sets, oxygen supply through medical pipelines and centrally monitored ICU facilities. The medical facility will be available to all residents of Barmer and its adjoining districts.

Vedanta Cares, an initiative of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, is setting up 10 Covid Care hospitals with 1,000 critical care beds that are coming up across Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu.

In fact, Rajasthan is among the few states where Vedanta is setting up two field hospitals for catering to Covid patients. In addition to Barmer, there will be a Vedanta Cares Hospital in Dariba, which is in the final stages of completion.

Recognising the efforts of Vedanta Ltd., Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Shri Ashok Gehlot, said, “I appreciate the active support that Vedanta Ltd. has been providing. Given today's difficult circumstances, active collaboration between the private and public sector is the need of the hour. I thank the people of Rajasthan for their continuous cooperation and resilience in our fight against the second wave of COVID-19. With the strong possibility of a third wave, we will need to keep vigil and avoid complacency. Facilities like these will surely assist us in championing the fight against COVID-19.”

Anil Agarwal, Chairman, Vedanta, said, "The pandemic has disrupted millions of lives and livelihoods across the country. Vedanta Group stands in solidarity with the Nation and has pledged its support to the central and state governments in providing quality care to those affected by the virus. Our state-of-the-art COVID field hospital in Barmer will support the state government of Rajasthan in providing medical care to ailing patients."

Sunil Duggal, Group CEO, Vedanta, said: “The second wave of COVID-19 has taught us why it is critical to have a robust healthcare ecosystem. Now, with experts predicting a third wave, we must prepare well to withstand any imminent crisis. This 100-bed hospital with quality professionals, equipment and infrastructure will relieve some stress from existing institutions. We want to continue our efforts and provide support to the government in overcoming the pandemic and ensuring that people of India emerge victorious against the virus.”

Prachur Sah, Deputy CEO, Cairn Oil & Gas, Vedanta Ltd., added, “From the beginning of the pandemic, we have explored different avenues through which we can assist state governments across the country. In Rajasthan alone, we have provided 500 oxygen concentrators. Additionally, Vedanta will spend ~Rs 12 crore for procuring vaccines, deliveries of which will commence later this month. We have also been providing food supply to COVID-19 patients, conducting regular sanitization drives in public spaces, organising mass awareness activities and more. This field hospital is another way for us to serve society.

Sustainable Development has been at the core of Vedanta’s business strategy. The company is committed to a ‘social license to operate’ and partners with communities, local governments and academic institutions to catalyse socioeconomic development in its areas of operations. From the very beginning, Vedanta Ltd. has provided support in spreading awareness among communities while simultaneously accentuating availability of hospital beds, oxygen concentrators and oxygen supply.

Cairn Oil & Gas, a vertical of Vedanta Ltd., recently converted a girl’s college in Rajasthan into a 100-bed COVID Care Centre in collaboration with the District Administration and Health Department. Additionally, all patients at the COVID Care Centre and District Hospital are being provided nutritious meals thrice a day. Cairn has also provided 13 tankers and 50 oxygen cylinders to aid the country’s fight against COVID-19. Further, transportation of oxygen cylinders for refilling is also being done regularly.