By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/NEW DELHI: FICCI has welcomed the move of the Prime Minister’s Office to use PM Cares Funds for setting up Oxygen Plants across all Government Hospitals. FICCI National VP and IMFA Group MD Subhrakant Panda welcomed the decision and hoped given the logistics constraints in transporting oxygen, distributed production makes eminent sense.
“Welcome the decision to allocate money from #PMCaresFund to set up oxygen plants in every district. Given the logistics constraints in transporting oxygen, distributed production makes eminent sense. @ficci_india,” FICCI National VP and IMFA Group MD Subhrakant Panda tweeted @subhrakantpanda.
In line with Prime Minister’s direction of boosting availability of oxygen to hospitals, the PM CARES Fund has given in-principle approval for allocation of funds for installation of 551 dedicated Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Medical Oxygen Generation Plants inside public health facilities in the country. PM has directed that these 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.
These dedicated plants will be established in identified Government hospitals in district headquarters in various States/UTs. The procurement will be done through Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The PM CARES Fund had earlier this year allocated Rs.201.58 crores 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.
