Vedanta dedicates 200 bedded COVID Hospital at Kalahandi, to Odisha

• Shri. Naveen Patnaik, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha, dedicated the hospital to public in a virtual ceremony
• The 200-bedded state-of-the-art critical care COVID hospital has been set up in Government Engineering College at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district, Odisha
• The hospital is fully oxygenated with 16 ICU and HDU beds each, as well as Odisha’s first paediatric COVID Care ward
• It is the largest single-location COVID facility set up by Vedanta in the country

Bhubaneswar, June 19, 2021: Vedanta Aluminium Power and Business, India’s largest producer of aluminium and its value-added products, has dedicated a 200-bedded state-of-the-art COVID Hospital to the people of Odisha, to aid the state government in providing timely and proper care to the critically ailing patients. Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik, opened the hospital to public in a virtual ceremony, in the presence of Mr. Anil Agarwal, Chairman – Vedanta Resources, and Mr. Rahul Sharma, Dy. CEO – Aluminium Business. The hospital has been funded by Vedanta and will be managed by the Government of Odisha. 

Set up under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the COVID Hospital at Bhawanipatna will be managed by the Government of Odisha. It is the largest single-location COVID facility set up by Vedanta in the country. It is a 200-bedded fully oxygenated facility having 16 Intensive Care Units (ICU) and 16 High Dependency Units (HDU) with ventilator support, and a dedicated team of doctors and medical staff to render medical services to the patients. The hospital has a paediatric ward for attending to potential COVID cases in children, which is the first of its kind in Odisha. Vedanta has also set up an oxygen plant in the hospital campus to augment and sustain oxygen supply for patients. The new hospital joins Vedanta’s growing chain of COVID field hospitals and COVID Care Centers established during the first and second wave of the pandemic. 

Dedicating the hospital to public, Shri. Naveen Patnaik, said, “I thank the people of Kalahandi for bravely facing the second wave of COVID pandemic. I thank our doctors, health workers, ASHA and Anganwadi workers for their service and sacrifices. We must remain prepared to face the third wave and I thank Vedanta Management and Mr. Anil Agarwal for their support in establishing the 200 bedded hospital at Bhawanipatna. Kalahandi has witnessed significant change in the last 2 decades due to the efforts of people of Kalahandi.  I once again thank Vedanta for joining hands with us in the establishment of this COVID hospital.” 

Mr. Anil Agarwal, Executive Chairman – Vedanta Resources, said, “We have had a long and enriching association with Odisha and its people. With operations in underserved regions like Kalahandi and Jharsuguda, we have taken our social responsibility of being a partner in the state’s socio-economic development seriously and delivered upon that commitment with sincerity. The COVID Hospital in Kalahandi is our humble dedication to the people of Odisha. May it serve them well.” 

Mr. Rahul Sharma, Dy. CEO – Aluminium Business, Vedanta Ltd., added, “Under the enterprising and far-sighted leadership of Honorable Chief Minister Shri. Naveen Patnaik Ji, the proactive measures undertaken by Odisha Government, such as collaboration with Panchayati Raj Institutions and community-based response strategy, have been instrumental in robust COVID management in the state. Vedanta Aluminium will continue to extend its support and resources to aid the state government and district administrations in this critical situation and mitigate the health hazards posed by the second wave of the pandemic.”

• Through its Aluminium Business, Vedanta has already vaccinated nearly 30,000 people in its ecosystem, including employees, business partners and their family members residing in Odisha. Continuing since the past year, Vedanta has extended support to bolster the state’s COVID prevention effort in various ways:
• Vedanta continues to support the District COVID Hospital at Jharsuguda with ICU beds, ventilators, specialized medical equipment, ambulance, and so on.
• Providing 2000 oxygen cylinders to the state government towards ensuring uninterrupted supply of oxygen for critical patients.
• Provided 10,000 RT PCR testing kits to the District Government Hospital at Bhawanipatna.
• 92,000 units of highly specialized Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) were provided to the Government of Odisha last year
• Thousands of daily wage earners and under-served families were provided with rations and meals
• Over 2 lakh masks, soaps and safety kits were freely distributed to the needy. The masks are being made by women of Vedanta-supported self-help groups, thus providing them a means of livelihood in these tough times
• Hundreds of awareness sessions on COVID-19 were conducted across remote villages
• Intensive fumigation and disinfection of public places, including public offices was carried out in the areas of Vedanta’s operations
• Extensive support was provided to local farmers to sustain their livelihood during lockdowns

Vedanta Aluminium & Power, a part of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, producing half of India’s aluminium at 1.96 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in FY21, and is also one of the largest private power producers in the country. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. With its world-class smelters, alumina refinery and power plants and spread across India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.

Corporate Com mIndia (CCI Newswire)