Maruti Suzuki in process of installing 24 oxygen plants in govt hospitals

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Friday said it along with its supplier partners are in the process of installing 24 oxygen plants in government hospitals by the first half of June, in order to support the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The auto major has already come up with four oxygen PSA generator plants at three government hospitals in Haryana, which were virtually inaugurated by Chief Minister Manohar Lal on Friday.

MSI has roped in its supplier partners JBML, SKH Metals and Motherson to help scale up the manufacturing activity of PSA manufacturers Airox Nigen, Sam Gases and Gaskon.

In less than a month, this arrangement has reached an output of six oxygen plants per day.

MSI Chairman R C Bhargava said, "The company is supporting these three manufacturers to increase their production of PSA plants for oxygen for COVID-19. Within one month of entering this project, our people have been able to increase the capacity of building oxygen generator plants by 10 times."

He added that this arrangement will deliver about 70 plants in May and 150 in June and this is more than the total estimated production in India in the financial year 2020-21.

Bhargava further said, "On the topic of oxygen supply chain, I think we should seriously study the benefits of on-site oxygen generator plants as transporting oxygen over large distances seems to be a very sub-optimal solution."

Commenting on the initiative, Lal said, "We recognise Maruti Suzuki's critical role of being an economic booster to the growth and development of the state of Haryana. Whenever the need has arisen Maruti Suzuki has always been the first company to reach out with adequate help and assistance."

In the first wave, the company were the first ones to come forward with much needed ventilators in the state, he noted.

"In the second wave, we witnessed a massive shortfall of oxygen supply.

"Here, I appreciate Maruti Suzuki's approach of helping the small-scale enterprises ramp up their production to meet the requirements of oxygen PSA generator plants in the country," the chief minister said.

It is an appropriate solution to all the logistics challenges the government has faced in arranging medical oxygen, he added.

"We aspire that every district hospital in the state is equipped with an oxygen PSA generator plant before the onset of the dreaded third wave," Lal said.