Punjab board to honour doctors at Covid forefront

“Doctors have led this battle from the front by taking enormous risks to their own lives. Doctors, especially who work for charitable hospitals which are not financially supported by either government budgets or big corporate houses, would also be honoured,” said Dutta.

She also said that 1,500 BIS certified and ISI marked FFP-2 (N95) masks will be distributed specially for doctors in three charitable hospitals in the state — Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, Sri Guru Harkrishan Sahib Multi Super Specialty Hospital, Sohana, SAS Nagar popularly known as ‘Sohana Hospital’ and Dalmia Charitable Trust, Amritsar.

“The board also chose to source the masks from a small MSME manufacturer, M/s Paayas Incorporation, Ludhiana, who were the first unit in North India to develop and manufacture BIS certified masks, which shows the enormous entrepreneurship of our Punjabi entrepreneurs. The board also appreciates the efforts of Punjab entrepreneurs who developed PPE coveralls and N95 masks. Now, the number of certified masks manufacturers in the state stands at 16 and PPE (body coverall) manufacturers are 141 and they went from zero (at the start of lockdown i.e. March 24) to 141 as on date,” said Dutta.