Boeing India-SELCO partner to build covid facility in Karnataka

“Boeing India has funded the facility, DFY is providing the necessary staff, SELCO Foundation has set up the pre-fabricated facility, and KSPCL provided the land necessary to set up the hospital,” Boeing India said in a statement.

Chief Minister of Karnataka B.S. Yediyurappa who inaugurated the facility on Saturday commended the gesture by Boeing.

“It is commendable that corporates have joined hands with the government in the fight against the covid second wave. It’s indeed a great pleasure that Boeing India has partnered with SELCO Foundation and DFY to build a 100-bed oxygenated super-speciality covid care facility at KSPCL, campus in Yelahanka,” the statement quoted Yediyurappa as saying.

The hospital was built in less than three weeks. Of the 100-oxygen beds, 10 are dedicated for intensive care. The hospital will also have areas for triage, donning and doffing, pharmacy, laboratory, rest areas, nurse stations and meeting rooms for medical staff.

The DFY team will comprise specialist and generalist doctors, paramedics, and facility management staff. Boeing’s funding will also provide medical equipment, including CT scanners, ventilators, oxygen cylinders and concentrators, flow meters, and ambulances to the hospital, the statement said.

“We sincerely thank Boeing India, SELCO Foundation and DFY for helping set up a 100-bed oxygenated facility in Yelahanka. It is heartening to see private – public collaboration to augment health infrastructure in the state and create positive impact to people in need,” said D.V. Sadanand Gowda, union minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

The KPCL campus in Yelahanka was chosen because of its proximity to an already existing oxygen generation plant, the Boeing statement said. The design and construction of the hospital has been done in an environmentally friendly manner – building materials were chosen to maximize thermal comfort for patients and hospital staff.

“Day lighting and solar power for night-time electricity requirements ensures reliability and efficiency,” the statement added.

Boeing’s contribution is part of its $10 million emergency assistance package announced in April to support India’s covid-19 response. A large number of American companies like Google, Uber and IBM had come together to offer their resources to help India fight the second wave of covid-19 that saw hospitals overflowing with patients and many dying in the early stages of the second wave due to the lack of oxygen.