By Vishal Gulati

Chandigarh, Jun 3 (IANS): Amid Covid patients struggling for hospitals and many others succumbing to the deadly virus as they couldn't afford to buy the life-saving drugs and oxygen from the black market, a ray of hope has come from Vedanta Ltd which is setting up fully equipped field hospitals.

The facilities provide vaccinations and increased insurance cover for its employees and business partners, among others.

Makeshift air-conditioned hospitals with a bed capacity of 1,000 under the company's ‘Vedanta Cares Field Hospital Project' are coming up shortly in Odisha, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu.

Two 100-bed state-of-the-art facilities, each in Gurugram and Chhattisgarh, have been commissioned last week.

The professionally managed field hospitals, which are attached to recognized and reputed hospitals in the vicinity, are part of an initiative of the business conglomerate that has pledged Rs 150 crore to help the country fight the deadlier second wave that spread at an unprecedented pace.

Vedanta's aluminium business, for instance, is already supporting over 550 beds in Covid Care Centres at Jharsuguda and Lanjigarh in Odisha and Balco in Korba in Chhattisgarh and quarantine centres for isolation and post-treatment recovery.

As the country has been going through a massive crisis for oxygen, Vedanta's aluminium business has made provision of over 2,000 oxygen cylinders in Odisha, besides making provision of 20 ICU beds, 20 ventilators, 200 oxygen flowmeters and 2,000 N95 masks to aid the local administration.

Commenting on the Covid relief measures, Rahul Sharma, Deputy CEO (Aluminum Business), Vedanta Ltd, told IANS: "We stand by the country during the challenging times. We are committed to extending full support to state administrations in their efforts to keep our communities safe, as we work on all fronts to safeguard our employees, business partners, their families, and extended communities against the disease.

"We have augmented our Covid care facilities, accelerated vaccination drives and intensified community awareness on Covid appropriate behaviour, at and beyond our operations. We hope to emerge out of this crisis stronger and more united."

As the country accelerates its vaccination drive, the company has come forward to vaccinate 100 per cent of its employees at all its offices and plant locations, including Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd (TSPL) in Punjab's Bathinda district.

Expressing gratitude, TSPL official Khirod Kumar Barik told IANS over phone, "I feel very safe that the company has got me, my family and 100 per cent of our employees, including our business partners, vaccinated."

"This has created a secure environment for all of us to work," he said.

Lopamudra Panigrahi, an employee at the Jharsuguda facility in Odisha, added: "Getting infected with Covid while living on your own, far away from your parents and support systems, can be very overwhelming. I am thankful for the fact that Vedanta set up Covid Care Centres inside plant premises, so we could undergo high-quality treatment here itself."

Besides treating, the company has also gone a step further by offering to vaccinate even dependents of their employees. Over 8,300 people across the Vedanta aluminium plants have been vaccinated with plans for 100 per cent inoculation of all eligible.

Also telemedicine facility has been made available wherein patients can connect with doctors through phone calls or WhatsApp voice calls to get consultation and e-prescription.

Keeping employee safety in mind, the company has extended an insurance policy for employees of business partners across its plants in Jharsuguda and Lanjigarh in Odisha and Balco in Chhattisgarh.

It has also accelerated the deployment of cutting-edge technologies and digital solutions to safeguard its workforce against the virus and sustain production quality.

The company is also supporting thousands of daily wage earners and underprivileged families by providing them rations and meals, besides supporting local farmers to sustain their livelihood amid the Covid-induced lockdowns.