President Ram Nath Kovind donates Rs 20 lakh to Army hospital.

Manish K Singhal
New Delhi, July 26 (HS): President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday donated Rs 20 lakh to the Army Hospital (Research and Referral), to buy equipment that will help doctors and paramedics combat Covid-19 effectively. President Kovind presented a cheque of Rs. 20 Lakh, as a tribute to soldiers who fought valiantly and made supreme sacrifice in the Kargil war. The day is observed as Vijay Diwas.The President’s contribution to the Army Hospital has been made possible due to an exercise to economise expenditure in the Rashtrapati Bhavan and thus make more resources available to contain Covid-19.The President had earlier issued directions to reduce expenses by initiating a slew of measures in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. As a sequel to this initiative, he had earlier deferred the proposal to buy a limousine which was to be used for ceremonial occasions.The contribution from the President to the Army Hospital will be used to procure units of PAPR (powered air purifying respirator), which is a state-of-art equipment to enable medical professionals breathe during surgeries and protect them from infection. This will serve the larger cause of patients’ care and protection to those warriors who are fighting an invisible enemy.The President is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and his gesture will boost the morale of the frontline Covid warriors of the Army Hospital. The Army Hospital (Research and Referral) is the apex medical care centre for the Armed Forces of India. The Officiating Commandant Maj. Gen. Sarat Chandra Dash was also a participant in OP VIJAY for which he was awarded Yudh Seva Medal.