Finance Minister Visits Boeing Initiative of 100 Oxygenated-bed Facility at Yelahanka

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 1 July visited the Boeing-supported COVID-care facility in Yelahanka, Bengaluru. The 100 oxygenated-bed hospital at Karnataka State Power Corporation Ltd. (KSPCL) has been established by Boeing India, in partnership with the Government of Karnataka, Doctors For You (DFY) and SELCO Foundation, for public healthcare support in the region.

The COVID-care facility was inaugurated on 19 June in the presence of Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers D.V. Sadanand Gowda and Chief Minister of Karnataka B.S. Yediyurappa. The hospital was built from ground up in 20 working days and will treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19 cases. Of the 100-oxygen beds, 10-beds are dedicated for ICU services and 20-beds for High Dependency Units (HDU) ward. Boeing India funded the facility, DFY is providing the necessary staff and care, SELCO Foundation set up the pre-fabricated facility, and KSPCL provided the land necessary for the hospital. Boeing has also provided medical equipment, including CT scanners, ventilators, oxygen cylinders and concentrators, flow meters, and ambulances to the hospital.

The KSPCL campus at Yelahanka was chosen because of its proximity to an already existing oxygen generation plant. 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.

Boeing launched a $10 million emergency assistance package on 30 April to support India’s COVID-19 response. As part of its COVID relief efforts, Boeing is working with central and state governments in India, and with international relief organizations to set up COVID-19 care hospitals and provide medical supplies for the treatment of patients. The Yelahanka COVID-care facility is the first such hospital to be inaugurated under this initiative.