Govt to set 551 oxygen plants inside hospitals from PM Cares fund
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New Delhi, April 26: Acknowledging the medical oxygen requirements in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday ordered the setting up of 551 oxygen plants inside government hospitals. The 551 dedicated Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) medical oxygen generation plants will be set under the PM CARES Fund.
PM Modi also ordered the concerned authorities to make these plants functional as soon as possible and ensure the procurement of it will be done through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
These dedicated plants will be established in identified Govt hospitals in district headquarters in various States/UTs. This decision will boost the availability of oxygen to hospitals when the country is facing a shortage of medical oxygen.
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said: “PM has directed that these [PSA] plants should be made functional as soon as possible. He said that these plants will serve as a major boost to oxygen availability at the district level.”
The “basic aim” behind establishing the 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”, the statement said.
The PM CARES Fund had earlier this year allocated Rs.201.58 crores for the installation of an additional 162 dedicated PSA Medical Oxygen Generation Plants inside public health facilities in the country.
Besides, 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.
Separately, the Home Ministry issued an order directing states to use all available liquid oxygen for medical purposes only.
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