IT Correspondent
New Delhi, April 25:
While demand for medical oxygen has grown manifold due to surge in coronavirus cases in the country, the Union Government on Sunday announced a plan to set up 551 dedicated Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Medical Oxygen Generation Plants inside public health facilities in the country.
The PM CARES Fund has given in-principle approval for allocation of funds for the plats to ensure uninterrupted supply of oxygen in hospitals at district head-quarters. PM has directed that these plants should be made functional as soon as possible.
These dedicated plants will be established in identified Government hospitals in district headquarters in various States/Union Territories. The procurement will be done through Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The PM CARES Fund had allocated Rs.201.58 crore, earlier this year for installation of additional 162 dedicated Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Medical Oxygen Generation Plants inside public health facilities in the country
The basic aim behind establishing PSA Oxygen Generation Plants at Government hospitals in the district headquarters is to further strengthen the public health system and ensure that each of these hospitals has a captive oxygen generation facility. Such an in-house captive oxygen generation facility would address the day to day medical oxygen needs of these hospitals and the district.
In addition, the liquid medical oxygen (LMO) would serve as a “top up” to the captive oxygen generation. Such a system will go a long way in ensuring that Government hospitals in the districts do not face sudden disruption of oxygen supplies and have access to adequate uninterrupted oxygen supply to manage the COVID-19 patients and other patients needing such support.
The shortage of medical oxygen supply has posed a difficult challenge in India’s battle against the Coronavirus crisis with patients dying due to the lack of critical supply. Hospitals in the national capital have had to approach the Delhi HC to have their woes addressed.
In the meanwhile the Union Health Ministry stated that nearly 150 tonnes of LMO filled in 10 containers has been delivered so far. The LMO was delivered by the “Oxygen Expresses” to Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. The containers were unloaded at Nagpur and Varanasi enroute to supply LMO in these region. The third Oxygen Express also started its journey from Lucknow on Sunday.
States like Andhra Pradesh, Delhi are in consultation with Railways to run more such trains. It may be noted that tankers filled with LMO at Visakhapatnam(Andhra Pradesh) and Bokaro (Jharkhand) are at present being transported through Ro-Ro service of Indian Railways.
To fulfill the requirements of LMO in Uttar Pradesh, a green corridor was created between Lucknow to Varanasi. The distance of 270 Km was covered by the train in 4 hours 20 minutes with an average speed of 62.35 kmph. Transportation of Oxygen through Trains is faster over long distances than road transport. Trains run 24×7 unlike road transports.
