UP's 60 Parachute Field Hospital to get Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabhandhan Puraskar

NEW DELHI: The 60 Parachute Field Hospital in UP, which is the sole airborne medical establishment of the Indian Armed Forces and was deployed in Turkey after the massive earthquake there in February 2023, has been selected for the 2023 Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabhandhan Puraskar for its “excellent work in disaster management”.
Recognised for its exceptional service in both in domestic disasters and various global crisis, 60 Parachute Field Hospital has provided medical assistance during the Uttarakhand floods (2013), Nepal earthquake under the operation name ‘Maitri’ (2015) and Indonesian Tsunami as part of operation Samudra Maitri (2018).
After the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria last year, the unit had rapidly assembled a 99-member team and established India’s pioneering level-2 medical facility in Turkey. Overcoming resource constraints and a language barrier, it had set up a 30-bed hospital in Hatay province’s school building. The unit provided a wide range of medical services, including rescue, triage, surgery, dental treatment, X Ray and lab facilities and offered care to 3,600 patients over a 12-day period as a part of ‘Operation Dost’.
60 Parachute Field Hospital was chosen for the Subhas Chandra Bose Aapda Prabhandhan Puraskar — which recognises and honours the invaluable contribution and selfless services rendered by individuals and organisations in the field of disaster management — in the ‘institutional’ category.
The award, announced every year on January 23, the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, carries a cash prize of Rs 51 lakh and a certificate in case of an institution and Rs 5 lakh and a certificate in case of an individual.
Home ministry on Tuesday said India has significantly improved the disaster management practices, preparedness, mitigation and response mechanisms under the Narendra Modi government, resulting in significant reduction in casualties during natural calamities. "Home minister Amit Shah continuously reviews disaster preparedness and stresses upon training of the community and on adoption of best practices by the stakeholders to minimize loss of life and property," said an MHA spokesperson.
For the 2024 edition of the award, online nominations were solicited from July 1, 2023 onwards. A total 245 valid nominations were received from various institutions and individuals.