Bhubaneswar: Senior BJP leader and Union minister Pratap Sarangi on Thursday urged Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to send a proposal to the Union Ministry of Defence for a COVID Care Hospital with oxygen and ICU beds to be set up by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Balasore.
Sarangi wrote to the CM that Ministry of Defence has been contributing significantly in the fight against COVID-19 by establishing makeshift COVID Hospitals in several parts of the country in consultation with state health authorities.
As part of its initiative, DRDO might consider any fresh proposal to set up a COVID care facility if the concerned state government recommends it with commitment to provide basic needs for setting up of such a facility, he added.
Sarangi further said that Balasore, with its famed Integrated Test Range (ITR), is a major hub of DRDO which over the years has acquired a seamless interface with the civilian population of the area.
Besides, Balasore has been witnessing significant rise in COVID cases during the second wave and its geographical location as a border district has contributed to its growing vulnerabilities.
“This apart, due to absence of critical COVID care facility in Balasore, many patients are being taken to Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, thus putting further pressure on the existing COVID care facility there,” he pointed out.
