Oxygen making plants in 100 new Indian hospitals |
India`s Union Health Ministry on 15 April announced that 100 new hospitals in the country will have their own Oxygen plant with funding provided by Prime Minister`s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund, aka PM-CARES Fund. The decision was taken at a meeting of Empowered Group 2 which was held to review the availability of essential medical equipment and oxygen during COVID-19. The Ministry said Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants manufacture oxygen and help hospitals become self-sufficient in their requirement for medical oxygen. It said 162 PSA plants sanctioned under PM-CARES are being closely reviewed for early commissioning to help self-generate oxygen in hospitals, especially in remote areas. The Empowered Group 2 has directed the Health Ministry to identify 100 hospitals in far-flung locations for the sanction for installation of PSA plants. The Health Ministry said that medical oxygen is a critical component in the treatment of COVID-19 affected patients and has been in high demand in the 12 states with a high rate of active COVID cases. These are Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Sources of medical oxygen and production capacity was mapped to match the requirement of states, creating an indicative framework to guide the states. The Empowered Group has also decided to float a tender for the import of 50 thousand Metric Tonnes of medical oxygen. The Health Ministry has been directed to finalize the tender. It has also been asked to explore possible sources for import identified by the missions of the Ministry of External Affairs. The Empowered Group 2 is monitoring the situation of demand and supply of medical oxygen continuously to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to support the uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen.
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