Around 20% of the oxygen plants that were promised during the second wave of activities are now functional | oxygen plant India

Covid-19 second wave announced: 20% of oxygen plants are now operational

28

Sep

Covid-19 second wave announced: 20% of oxygen plants are now operational

Prakshi Rawat

The Centre stated that new plants will be erected all around the country after the peak of Covid-19 produced a historic shortage of medical oxygen, with reports claiming that lots of thousands people died as a result of the crisis.

According to the Union health ministry, the Union government has authorized 1,222 pressure swing absorption (PSA) units that function as oxygen generators for hospitals, from which 245 – nearly a fifth – have indeed been commissioned in various areas

Only 33 PSA oxygen plants were operational at the start of the 2nd wave. According to a post from the Union health ministry. The government invited contracts for 162 PSA oxygen plants during the first wave of Covid-19 cases.

Starting with the second wave, the government first stated that 551 plants would be constructed with PM Cares funds. Those are in addition to an undetermined lot of initiatives that will be financed by central ministries and government agencies (PSUs).

According to a press statement by the department of science and technology

Defense Research & Development Agency (DRDO) secretary C Satish Reddy stated that 850 PSA plants would be built under PM Cares. The DRDO has been working on a few of the PSA plant projects, while the government has put out tenders for the remainder.

Officials from the PM Office assured the new cabinet that around 1,500 PSA oxygen plants would be constructed across the country. The statement said that these will support 400,000 beds in total, but did not confirm when they'll be erected; the Prime Minister ordered leaders to make sure it must have been completed as quickly as possible.

According to health ministry officials who didn't want to be identified, a further 250 PSA plants are expected to be placed with the remainder of the 1,222 PSA plants to be authorized by the end of each year.

The health ministry's statement to parliament also claimed that, in contrast to the 1,222, the number of plants to be placed by ministries and PSUs is 351, and that the states have individually told the Union government that they have been setting up 1,023 plants on their own.

The Union authorities have declared that they should build 1,023 plants on their own.

The 1,222 plants, according to the health ministry's answer in legislature, will have a total capacity of approximately 1,771MT per day, and it's about a fifth of the peak 9,690MT oxygen liquid delivered by the Centre to governments in a single day .

Other state authorities have reported that the number of plants they are operating on may be greater than what was revealed with the Center. According to an official, Uttar Pradesh, which acquired 127 PSA plants from the Centre, has sanctioned 414 PSA oxygen plants on its own, with 145 of them already operating.

Rajasthan, which received 51 plants from the Central government, approved 429 plants on its own, with 280 of them functional, according to the state government.

Similarly, Maharashtra's department of health argues that the government planned 462 PSA plants, of which 98 are functioning.

According to the government's statement to parliament, oxygen plants have also grown during this time, medical oxygen supply grew to 9,690 mt during first wave of covid -19, this summer the health ministry informed Parliament that there were 1,244 liquid medical oxygen tanks available with many liquid oxygen plants.

Besides the 15,000 crore provided under covid emergency Response and Health System Readiness package, the government said it released 1,113 crore to provinces under the National Mission for covid control in 2020-21. The ministry also announced that part two of both the plans, worth Rs 23,132 crore (including government contribution), has indeed been accepted.