Amit Shah inaugurates PSA oxygen plant at Covid-19 hospital in Gujarat

Union Home Minister Amit Shah

on Saturday inaugurated a 280-litre per minute capacity PSA oxygen plant at a COVID-19-designated hospital at Kolavada in Gujarat's Gandhinagar

Speaking on the occasion, the Union home minister said 11 more such plants will be set up in Gujarat under the Prime Minister's Citizens Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation (PM CARES) Fund.

Shah inaugurated the pressure swing absorption (PSA) oxygen plant at a COVID-19 centre set up at an Ayurvedic hospital at Kolavada, which falls under his Parliamentary constituency of Gandhinagar.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel were also present on the occasion.

Under the PM Cares Fund, 11 more PSA oxygen plans will come up in Gujarat to meet the growing requirements of oxygen for COVID-19 patients in the state, Shah said, adding that hundreds of such plants will be set up across the country under the fund.

"At the Kolavada plant, 280 litres of oxygen will be concentrated after drawing from the air and supplied to the patients every minute. An arrangement has been made to ensure that the supply continues to meet the requirements of all 200 patients at the centre (when the facility is at its full capacity)," he said

The government has also kept large gas cylinders in reserve in case of emergency, he said.

At present, 66 patients are being treated at the facility and are on oxygen support.

"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, hundreds of such oxygen plants are being set up across the country under the PM CARES Fund. Gujarat has also received permission to set up 11 plants, which will be functional soon," the Union home minister said.

Being an industrial state, Gujarat produces more amount of oxygen compared to other states and has set a beautiful example of supplying the same to them, he said.

Shah also provided an assistance of Rs 10 crore to provide necessary healthcare facilities for people of his Gandhinagar constituency.

The Chief Minister's Office stated in a release that the facilities will benefit eight lakh people in rural areas.

As part of the arrangement, six ambulances, two mobile ICU sand two mobile laboratories have been made available, it was stated.

According to the release, equipment including Phaco machines, digital X-ray machines, sonography colour machines, oxygen concentrators, binocular microscopes, digital X-ray machines, BiPAP machines and ventilators have also been procured.

Shah had on Friday held a high-level meeting with Rupani and senior government officials to discuss the COVID-19 situation in Gujarat and also visited a 950-bed facility for coronavirus patients at Ahmedabad's GMDC ground.

The facility has been set up by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in collaboration with the state government.

Shah also announced that a 1,200-bed hospital for COVID-19 patients will soon come up in Gandhinagar.

Gujarat on Friday recorded 13,804 COVID-19 cases, with the state's active caseload crossing the 1-lakh mark to 1,00,128. The state's COVID-19 toll has risen to 6,019.