An elderly Covid-19 patient on oxygen support in Ghaziabad during the devastating second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India.  |  Photo Credit: PTI
Key Highlights
- He stressed that it is the primary and critical responsibility of states and UTs to ensure the availability of oxygen equipment
- States/UTs have been asked to ensure that the delivered ventilators are quickly installed and commissioned at the designated field health facilities
New Delhi: Learning from the poor healthcare preparedness during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in April-June 2021, the central government on Friday reviewed the medical oxygen infrastructure in the country as India grapples with an Omicron-driven third wave of the coronavirus outbreak.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan today chaired a high-level meeting to review the status of the entire spectrum of oxygen equipment, including ventilators, PSA/oxygen plants, oxygen concentrators and oxygen cylinders for timely and effective management of the Covid-19 pandemic, with states and Union Territories.
Bhushan, underlining the challenge posed by the rapidly spiking Covid-19 infections across India due to the Omicron variant, stressed that it is the primary and critical responsibility of states and UTs to ensure the availability of oxygen equipment and that they are kept in a functional state to meet any emergency.
“States/UTs have been urged to ensure full and optimal utilisation of ECRP-II funds, through daily reviews, and to upload the expenditure on the dedicated NHM PMS portal so that they are eligible for release of further funds in order to strengthen the healthcare facilities till the sub-district levels. Under ECRP-II, funds are also made available for installing Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) tanks and medical gas pipeline systems (MGPS). States are required to make them operational and secure approval from Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) in respect of LMO tanks,” the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in an official release.
The Health Secretary also urged the states and UTs to commission PSA plants to be set up under their own and CSR funds on a war-footing. States have also been requested to also ensure mock drills of PSA plants are carried out to ensure oxygen flow at the patient bedside adheres to adequate purity, recommended outlet pressure with no leakages.
In addition to that, flow meters must be tested and remain in functional state. The states and UTs have also been asked to monitor installation of PSA plants in private hospital facilities and medical college Hospitals.
“States need to ensure that the delivered ventilators are quickly installed and commissioned at the designated field health facilities. They were urged to address the large gaps that continue to exist between delivered and installed ventilators, provide consignee details of hospitals for requirement of additional ventilators and expedite the issuing of Final Acceptance Certificates for installed ventilators. States/UTs were further reminded to expedite finalizing maintenance contracts with manufacturers. They were also advised to lodge any complaint related to ventilators in the online Complaint Management System which was launched on 30 August 2021,” the release stated.