The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund, PM CARES Fund has given in-principle approval for allocation of funds for installation of 551 dedicated Pressure Swing Adsorption, PSA Medical Oxygen Generation Plants inside public health facilities in the country. The decision is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s direction of boosting availability of oxygen to hospitals. The Prime Minister has directed that these plants should be made functional as soon as possible. He said that these plants will serve as a major boost to oxygen availability at the district level. These dedicated plants will be established in identified Government hospitals in district headquarters in various States and Union Territories. The procurement will be done through Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The PM CARES Fund had earlier this year allocated over 201 crore rupees for installation of additional 162 dedicated PSA Medical Oxygen Generation Plants inside public health facilities in the country.
The basic aim behind establishing PSA Oxygen Generation Plants at Government hospitals in the district headquarters is to further strengthen the public health system and ensure that each of these hospitals has a captive oxygen generation facility. Such an in-house captive oxygen generation facility will address the day to day medical oxygen needs of these hospitals and the district. In addition, the liquid medical oxygen will serve as a top up to the captive oxygen generation. Such a system will go a long way in ensuring that Government hospitals in the districts do not face sudden disruption of oxygen supplies and have access to adequate uninterrupted oxygen supply to manage the COVID-19 patients and other patients needing such support.
Home Minister Amit Shah has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allocating funds to install 551 PSA Oxygen Generation Plants in public health facilities across the country through PM CARES. In a tweet, Mr Shah said, it is a big decision to curb the oxygen crisis and help the people in need.
