In the area of the PVA EXPO Prague Letňany exhibition center, the army will build a backup medical facility with a capacity of 500 beds, which will be on standby. The soldiers thus respond to the current development of the coronavirus situation. Let's see below how the construction will be carried out and where our army is already helping out.

Picture: Fighting the pandemic is now the number one task not only for the army (illustrative photo) | army.cz

"We are all aware that the situation is serious and we have to deal with it together. Fighting the pandemic is now the number one task not only for the army. We will move the equipment of our field hospitals to Letňany. The planning and construction of the backup medical facility will take place in a matter of days," said Minister of Defence Lubomír Metnar at a press conference. We now know that the construction in Letňany will start on the weekend and it will include not only putting up tents, but also the installation of beds in the halls of the exhibition center. What is essential is the staff. The army will supply the basic staff, but most are expected to be doctors, medics and civilian nurses. The Ministry of Health then decides on the use of individual beds.

The army will provide one hundred beds from its two hospitals, the rest will be brought by soldiers from the warehouse of the Administration of State Material Reserves. In addition to the beds, the army will also provide specialized equipment, including ten fully ventilated intensive care unit stations, X-rays, CT equipment, a laboratory, etc. The material from the warehouses in Hradec Králové and Bystřice pod Hostýnem will be transported in about forty containers. The army will also ensure the guarding of the area and its technical operation, including a backup power source.

This is of course not the only help from the army. In addition to providing care in its hospitals, it assists in the following places and facilities:

• Reinforcing call centers of hygienic stations
• Testing and sampling
• Assistance in nursing homes and social care homes
• Military hospitals in Prague, Brno and Olomouc
• Involvement of military experts in smart quarantine

The Biological Defence Department at Techonin will remain unused. Minister of Defence Metnar argued mainly by the distance and the fact that there is a low capacity of beds, which is true on the one hand. On the other hand, it is necessary to take into account that at the moment when our soldiers return from missions, they undergo at least two days long examinations in Těchonín. The capacity must therefore be increased to at least 300 beds, and this is a number that would make sense.