Covid: 100 new hospitals to have own oxygen plant under PM-CARES, says govt

Another 50,000 MT of medical oxygen will be imported in view of increasing demand, says government

The union government on Thursday said an empowered group has initiated mapping of 12 high burden state in terms of coronavirus cases to medical Oxygen sources.

"100 new hospitals to have their own Oxygen plant under PM-CARES Fund and another 50,000 million tonne (MT) of medical oxygen will be imported, said the government.

Medical oxygen is a critical component in the treatment of coronavirus affected patients. As coronavirus cases rise there has been increasing demand for medical oxygen, especially from the 12 states with high burden of active cases.

A meeting of empowered group was held today to review the availability of essential medical equipment and oxygen and three important decisions were taken.

While the demand in Maharashtra expected to beyond available production capacity of the state, states like Madhya Pradesh do not have any production capacity to meet their demand for medical oxygen. Besides, there is a trend of increasing demand in other oxygen producing states such as Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, etc.

To give clarity and assurance to the states on oxygen supplied over the next few weeks of surge in cases, a mapping exercise was undertaken. Sources of medical oxygen and their production capacity was mapped to match the requirement of states and an indicative framework has been developed to guide the states on the sources of medical oxygen.

Accordingly, 4,880 MT, 5,619 MT and 6,593 MT have been indicated to these 12 states for meeting their projected demand as on April 20, April 25 and April 30, respectively. 

Identification of another 100 hospitals for PSA plants: Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants manufacture oxygen and help hospitals become self-sufficient in their requirement for medical oxygen while also reducing the burden on the national grid for supply of medical oxygen. 162 PSA plants sanctioned under PM-Cares are being closely reviewed for early completion of 100 percent of the plants to enhance self-generation of oxygen in hospitals especially in remote areas. The empowered group directed health ministry to identify another 100 hospitals in far flung locations for consideration of sanction for installation of PSA plants.

Import of 50,000 MT of medical oxygen: In view of increasing demand for medical oxygen, the empowered group also decided to float a tender for import of 50,000 MT of medical oxygen. Health Ministry has been directed to finalise the tender for the same and also explore possible sources for import identified by the missions of MEA.

The government said that empowered group 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.