Vedanta BALCO announces 100-bedded COVID Field Hospital at Raipur

Vedanta announced a state-of-the-art 100- bedded COVID Field Hospital at Naya Raipur, in Chhattisgarh, with Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO), its subsidiary, leading the effort.

The hospital is being readied on war-footing and is expected to be operationalized over the next fortnight. This upcoming facility will provide crucial support towards bolstering the efforts of the Government of Chhattisgarh in combatting COVID-19.

BALCO has marshalled all resources to fast-track the establishment of the COVID field hospital within the perimeter of its landmark Balco Medical Centre (Cancer Hospital), in Sector-36 of Naya Raipur.

The air-conditioned field hospital will be managed by Balco Medical Centre and will have 90 beds equipped with oxygen support, and 10 beds with ventilator support. An expert team of doctors, specialists, and medical/paramedic staff will continuously man the facility.

Abhijit Pati, Director and CEO, BALCO, said, “We remain committed to combatting this public health crisis with our full might. This new COVID field hospital will bring much-needed relief to those afflicted with the disease. With the complete support of the Vedanta group, BALCO is working relentlessly on multiple fronts to arrest this pandemic. We will continue to partner the state government and the district administrations in this endeavour and extend all possible support. We need to be responsible towards each other and keep ourselves and our families safe by following heightened safety protocols.”

Venkata Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, Balco Medical Centre, said, “Balco Medical Centre has always been at the forefront of COVID war be it be testing, treatment or research. We were the first private hospital in Chhattisgarh to receive State Government nod for RTPCR testing and to start plasma therapy for benefit of COVID patients. With the kind support of the Chhattisgarh State Government, we could make the COVID treatment available to all the strata of society.”

Anil Agarwal, Chairman, Vedanta has always been at the forefront in leading extensive community welfare initiatives across India. The upcoming COVID field hospital has been undertaken under the aegis of Anil Agarwal Foundation as a small step towards actualizing Anil Agarwal’s mission of giving back to the country and communities.

Vedanta is building similar hospitals in ten different cities across the nation, adding 1000 critical care beds in the process. Towards this, and for providing need-based support to the state and central governments and local communities, Vedanta has pledged INR 150 Cr to help the country in its fight against the rapidly spreading second wave of COVID-19.

This is over and above the Rs. 201 Cr that was spent by the Vedanta group last year. This included a contribution to COVID Relief Fund and Vedanta’s commitment of catering to three specific areas–livelihood of daily wage workers across the nation, preventive health care and support to all its employees and contract partners across its plant locations.

BALCO’s other COVID care facilities at Balconagar in Korba district, Chhattisgarh:

• BALCO has set up a 100-bedded COVID Care Centre equipped with required infrastructure and medical staff to provide proper care and treatment to the affected.
• The company has also supported the Korba district administration’s efforts by providing critical equipment and medicines to fight the pandemic.
• BALCO’s own 75-bedded super-specialty hospital is fully equipped with multi-specialty doctors to serve employees, their families, business partners and others. It is on stand-by to support the district administration as needed. BALCO Hospital has been awarded with the ISO 9001-2015 certificate for its commitment to excellent management and quality in the field of medicine.

Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) is India’s iconic aluminium producer. It is owned 49% by the Government of India and 51% by Vedanta Limited. Vedanta Limited is the world’s 6th largest diversified natural resources company and the largest producer of aluminium in India. BALCO operates a 0.57 million tonne per annum (mtpa) aluminium smelter in Korba, Chhattisgarh. It is also a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. With its world-class smelter and power plants, the company fulfills its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.