CHC Mandi, RS Pura, Bhaderwah getting oxygen plants under PM-CARES
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Apr 29: As hospitals across the country have been struggling with acute shortage of medical oxygen amid a raging second wave, the Jammu and Kashmir Government is doing all out efforts to set up medical oxygen general plants in several hospitals including new Government Medical Colleges (GMCs), District Hospitals and some Community Health Centres to avoid such a crisis in the UT.
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Official sources told Excelsior that in line with the announcement made by Financial Commissioner Health and Medical Education Atal Dulloo last week that 36 new medical oxygen plants would be added to the existing system in the near future, 23 of such plants have already been set up and most of them made operational.
Director Health Services (DHS) Kashmir Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Rather disclosed that in almost all the District Hospitals and some of the Sub District Hospitals of Kashmir, dedicated medical oxygen generation plants have been commissioned while in few Community Health Centres also, such plants of small capacity are being setup so that in case of any exigency and unexpected rise of COVID infections, no patient suffers or dies due to lack of medical oxygen.
He further informed that few days back he himself inaugurated the oxygen plant at District Hospital Kupwara and earlier, a large capacity plant was inaugurated at Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial Hospital Rainawari in Srinagar.
Meanwhile, sources while giving details about oxygen availability in district, sub-district and other hospitals, told Excelsior that oxygen generation plants in district hospitals of Jammu province are at various stages but as of now most of the Jammu hospitals are mostly dependent on cylinders.
Director Health Services Jammu Dr Renu Sharma informed that an oxygen plant of 1500 lpm capacity is almost ready to be commissioned in old block of Gandhi Nagar Hospital in Jammu. She added that once made operational, this plant will also help provide high flow oxygen to the new block of the Hospital, where the plant has yet not been commissioned.
Dr Sharma further shared that they have asked the J&K Medical Supplies Corporation Limited to provide them more cylinders as in the coming days the demand of oxygen may raise manifold but the Corporation expressed its inability to provide them more cylinders in view of the ban imposed on selling of the oxygen cylinders (outside their jurisdiction) by the States where such cylinders are manufactured.
She said in District Hospitals of Samba and Reasi, the oxygen plants will be commissioned within 15-20 days and once these plants start operating, the dependence on oxygen cylinders will decrease there and then some cylinders from there may be diverted to other hospitals in need.
The DHS Jammu also revealed that in Community Health Centres (CHCs) of Mandi, Bhaderwah and RS Pura, Centrally Sponsored dedicated Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) medical oxygen generation plants under PM-CARES Fund are being installed on priority. “Not only this, some other CHCs are going to have oxygen generation plants funded by the World Bank but it will take some time,” she added.
Meanwhile, Principal of Government Medical College (GMC) Rajouri, Dr Kuldeep Singh said in next 7-10 days, the Oxygen plant will be operational in the institution as all the equipment of the plant have reached and civil work has already been completed. I have asked the engineers to start the installation work, he said, adding at present they are totally dependent on oxygen manifold plant comprising 24 cylinders.
Similar claims were made by Principal GMC Doda Dr Dinesh Kumar. He said civil work regarding installation of the oxygen plant has been completed but the parts and machinery of the plant has yet not reached there. “Within few days we will receive the machinery also,” he said and asserted that they will certainly meet the May ending deadline and make the plant operational.
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