Vedanta dedicates second COVID Hospital to people of Odisha
29th June 2021
- Naveen Patnaik, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha, dedicated the hospital to public in a virtual ceremony today
- With the new COVID facility at Deogarh, and a similar one at Kalahandi, Vedanta adds 300 critical care beds to bolster Odisha Government’s medical infrastructure
- Set up at Eklavya School in Deogarh, the hospital is fully oxygenated with 12 Intensive Care Units, 32 High Dependency Units and a Paediatric COVID ICU
Bhubaneswar, 29th June, 2021: Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium and its value-added products, has dedicated a second COVID facility to the people of Odisha, developed at Eklavya Model Residential School, in Deogarh. With the new COVID facility at Deogarh, and a similar one at Kalahandi, Vedanta has added 300 critical care beds to bolster Odisha’s medical infrastructure, aiding the state’s efforts to provide 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 Shri. Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, Government of India, Mr. Anil Agarwal, Chairman – Vedanta Group, and Mr. Rahul Sharma, CEO – Aluminium Business, Vedanta Ltd. Set up under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, both hospitals have been funded by Vedanta Aluminium and will be managed by the Government of Odisha.
The COVID facility at Deogarh has 100 beds and is fully oxygenated with 12 Intensive Care Units (ICU), 32 High Dependency Units (HDU), a Paediatric COVID ICU, and a dedicated team of doctors and medical staff to render medical services to the patients. The new hospital is the last of Vedanta’s COVID field hospitals and facilities established across the country. Vedanta has set up more than 1000 critical care beds across India, of which Odisha has been supported with one of the highest number of beds.
Dedicating the hospital to public, Shri. Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha, said, “With the support of Vedanta Group, we had started a 200-bed hospital at Kalahandi, and today we dedicated a 100-bed hospital at Deogarh. I thank Mr. Anil Agarwal and Vedanta Management for coming forward as a corporate partner in our fight against COVID.”
Shri. Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, Government of India, added, “I thank Mr. Anil Agrawal and the Vedanta Management for promptly accepting our proposal to set up a COVID Hospital at a remote place like Deogarh. This will go a long way towards fighting COVID in Odisha. I consider your gesture as true corporate social responsibility and thank you for the same.”
Mr. Anil Agarwal, Executive Chairman – Vedanta Resources, said, “The Deogarh COVID Hospital is our humble contribution to the people Odisha, with whom we have had a long and enriching association. The Vedanta Cares Field Hospital project is our flagship initiative to lend much needed support to India in the fight against COVID, and I am pleased that we have delivered upon that commitment. I thank all host state governments for their unequivocal support which helped us fast-track this project and set up facilities across the country in only a month’s time. May they become a strong support in the nation’s fight against COVID and help keep our people safe.”
Mr. Rahul Sharma, Dy. CEO – Aluminium Business, Vedanta Ltd., added, “The COVID Hospital at Deogarh is Vedanta Aluminium’s second such facility developed in partnership with the Government of Odisha. We hope the hospitals in Kalahandi and Deogarh will be of immense help to the people of Odisha, along with the District COVID Hospital at Jharsuguda which we have been supporting since the past year. Under the enterprising and far-sighted leadership of Honorable Chief Minister Shri. Naveen Patnaik Ji, we are sure Odisha will continue to battle the pandemic effectively and efficiently. Vedanta Aluminium will continue to extend its support and resources to aid the state government and district administrations through this critical situation.”
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. Since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, Vedanta continues to support the state’s COVID management effort in various ways:
- 300-bed state-of-the-art COVID Hospitals with 28 ICUs, 48 HDUs, and Odisha’s Paediatric COVID Care ICU set up in Kalahandi and Deogarh
- 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 3.3 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 Business, a division of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest manufacturer of aluminium, producing half of India’s aluminium at 1.96 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in FY21. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. With its world-class Aluminium Smelters, Alumina Refinery and Power Plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
About Vedanta Limited:
Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa and Namibia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment. Vedanta has put in place a comprehensive framework to be the ESG leader in the natural resources sector. Vedanta is committed to reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050 or sooner and has pledged $5 billion over the next 10 years to accelerate the transition to net zero operations. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company’s flagship social impact program, Nand Ghars, have been set up as model anganwadis focused on eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with skill development. Under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the umbrella entity for Vedanta’s social initiatives, the Vedanta group has pledged Rs 5000 crore over the next five years on social impact programmes with a thrust on nutrition, women & child development, healthcare, animal welfare, and grass-root level sports. Vedanta and the group companies have been featured in Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and was conferred Frost & Sullivan Sustainability Awards 2020, Golden Peacock Award for excellence in Corporate Governance 2022 and certified as a Great Place to Work 2022. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.
For more information, please visit www.vedantalimited.com
About Vedanta Aluminium Business:
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.29 million tonnes in FY23. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 1st in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its leading sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
For more information, please log on to www.vedantaaluminium.com
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