New Delhi, Mar 28 (IANS): National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), India's largest power producer, has stepped up vigil against Covid-19 by converting its hospitals into dedicated coronavirus units.

NTPC has turned its 45 hospitals/health units into isolation facilities and has procured equipment for the medical staff to handle such cases. As many as 121 beds have been dedicated for isolation wards in these hospitals.

The government has asked public sector undertakings to identify their healthcare facilities and see if they could be converted into centres to handle the Covid-19 pandemic.

The key medical infrastructure, made ready for use by state governments, includes hospital at Badarpur in Delhi and the medical college hospital of Sundergarh in Odisha. Korba Hospital was also being examined for takeover by the state government, NTPC said.

The medical personnel have also been trained through video link about use of personal protective equipment (PPE), it added.

NTPC also conducted mock drill on March 22 at all its hospitals as per the Ministry of health and Family Welfare guidelines. 1,160 PPEs, 30,000 masks and 30,000 gloves have been dispatched to all the projects and stations.

Eight ventilators are being procured for the Hazaribagh district administration. At present, there are 7 ventilators in the project hospitals, and 18 advanced level ambulances with ventilators.

Another 10 ventilators are being procured for different hospitals, and efforts are being made to acquire additional PPEs and sanitisers.

NTPC Rihand has assured adequate funds for distribution of sanitisers and other protective equipment.

The requirement of contract workers has been rationalised at NTPC projects/stations in terms of the Centre's guidelines. NTPC has asked its agencies to treat worker's absence in these extraordinary circumstances as on duty.

Wages would be paid on time, it said and added, in some cases advances had also been given.