The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR, JUNE 19, 2021
Vedanta Aluminium Power and Business, India’s largest producer of aluminium and its value-added products, has dedicated a 200-bed state-of-the-art COVID Hospital to the people of Odisha, to support the state government in providing timely and proper care to the critically ailing patients.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday inaugurated Vedanta’s largest Covid hospital in Kalahandi in a virtual ceremony, in presence of Vedanta Resources Chairman Anil Agarwal and Vedanta Limited CEO Rahul Sharma.
It is also the first hospital to have paediatric Covid Care as well.
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 (ICUs) and 16 High Dependency Units (HDUs) 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, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, said, “I thank Vedanta Management and Mr. Anil Agarwal for support in establishing of 200 bedded hospital at Bhawanipatna… I once again thank Vedanta group for joining hands with us in establishment of this COVID hospital.”
Patnaik said that Kalahandi has witnessed significant change in the last two decades due to the efforts of people of the tribal dominated district.
“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,” the Odisha Chief Minister added.
Speaking on the occasion, Vedanta Resources Executive Chairman Anil Agarwal 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.”
Lauding the Odisha Government’s proactive measures for COVID management, Vedanta Limited CEO Rahul Sharma said, “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. It’s providing 2000 oxygen cylinders to the state government towards ensuring uninterrupted supply of oxygen for critical patients. The Company has provided 10,000 RT-PCR testing kits to the District Government Hospital at Bhawanipatna. It had provided 92,000 units of highly specialized Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Government of Odisha last year; and distributed over 2 lakh masks, soaps and safety kits to the needy people.
This apart, Vedanta provided extensive support to local farmers to sustain their livelihood during lockdowns; and rations and meals to thousands of daily wage earners and under-served families. 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 fulfills its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
