Armed forces recall retired medical staff to fight pandemic

New Delhi: All medical personnel of the armed forces who have retired or have taken pre-mature retirement in the last two years are being recalled to work in COVID-19 facilities within proximity of their present place of residence, the government said on Monday.

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat told Prime Minister Narendra Modi about this decision as they reviewed preparations and operations being undertaken by the armed forces to deal with the second wave of the pandemic raging across the country.

Other medical officers who retired from the armed forces earlier than two years have also been requested to make their services available for consultation through medical emergency helplines, a statement said. Rawat also informed the prime minister that oxygen cylinders available with armed forces in various establishments will be released for hospitals.

Modi was also informed that all medical officers on staff appointments at Command HQ, Corps HQ, Division HQ & similar HQ of Navy and Air Force will be employed at hospitals. "The CDS informed the prime minister that nursing personnel are being employed in large numbers to complement the doctors at the hospitals," the statement said. Rawat also said they are creating medical facilities in large numbers and military medical infrastructure will be made available to civilians, where ever possible. Modi reviewed the operations being undertaken by Indian Air Force as well to transport oxygen and other essentials in India and abroad.

Meanwhile, China's state-run Sichuan Airlines has suspended all its cargo flights to India for 15 days, causing major disruption to private traders' efforts to procure the much-needed oxygen concentrators and other medical supplies from China despite Beijing offering "support and assistance" to the country to deal with the latest surge of COVID-19 cases.

In a letter to the sales agents on Monday, the Sichuan Chuanhang Logistics Co. Ltd, the company which is part of the Sichuan Airlines said the airline has suspended its cargo flights on six routes, including Xian to Delhi, amid hectic efforts by private traders from both sides to procure oxygen concentrators from China.

An association representing pilots of Air India on Monday urged the Delhi High Court to direct civil aviation regulator DGCA to suspend breath analyser tests due to the surge in the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the matter came up for hearing before Justice Prathiba M Singh, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) informed the court that there was a medical board recommendation of June last year permitting breath analyser tests (BAT). The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), however, told the court that the medical board recommendation was given in respect of BAT of air traffic controllers (ATCs).