IT Correspondent
New Delhi, July 23:
Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey, received the first tranche of 4,475 oxygen concentrators, out of 20,000 oxygen offered by Singapore’s Temasek Foundation, on Wednesday.
The remaining 15,525 oxygen concentrators will be received in August, Choubey, said in a statement and thanked the Indian Red Cross Society and Tata Trusts who coordinated the process of importing devices to India. The oxygen will help management of moderate coronavirus cases in the country.
“I express deep gratitude to all the people who have made donations to the cause of fighting COVID-19 in the country through donating blood, plasma and also donating in kind,” Choubey said.
The oxygen concentrators convert atmospheric air to therapeutic oxygen that has a concentration of 90-95%. As the machine obviates the need for transportation and refilling of heavy oxygen cylinders, they can be placed in wards where patients are provided care. These machines can be used at COVID care centres and railway coaches that have been repurposed as COVID centres.
About the use of oxygen concentrators, the minister said that these devices are helpful for those suffering from a moderate state of COVID-19, who may require low oxygen support They convert atmospheric air to therapeutic oxygen that has a concentration of 90 per cent to 95 per cent.
“The devices will be made available to states and Union territories for use in management of people with moderate cases of covid-19, who may require low oxygen support. Oxygen concentrators will aid the fight against covid-19,” Choubey said and added that the devices are especially useful in remote areas, where logistical constraints may hinder continuous supply of oxygen cylinders.
“Investment in public health is always beneficial for the development of people and nation. Communicable diseases will remain a threat and the world must develop tools to handle these at the primary stage of development of epidemiology and microbiology,” Professor and Head, department of community medicine, Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi Dr Jugal Kishore, said.
India, which is in the Unlock 2.0 phase, is gradually learning some lessons in its fight against coronavirus. The country tried to upgrade its health infrastructure during the lockdown and this is set to be beneficial even while tackling outbreaks of other communicable diseases.
This comes even as the country on Wednesday registered the highest ever recoveries among covid-19 patients in a single day with 28,472 persons cured of the highly infectious disease, the Union health ministry said. The total number of patients who have recovered reached 772,488 even as the total number of cases crossed 1,200,000, taking the recovery rate to 63.13%. As many as 19 states and Union territories are showing a recovery rate higher than the national average.
