Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 9

The Jalandhar Civil Hospital will become the first government health facility in the state to have an oxygen-generation plant over the next three months.

Tenders worth Rs 88.20 lakh have been allotted to a Jalandhar-based private firm to complete the plant by February next year.

With 18,678 persons having tested positive in the district till date and 591 deaths, experts have time and again warned of a severe second wave of infection. The oxygen plant with 700 LPM (litre per minute) capacity will go a long way in tackling any such situation in future.

Rs 88 Lakh tenders allotted

The plant having a capacity to produce 700 LPM (litre per minute) oxygen will be made operational by February next year

Tenders worth Rs88.20 lakh have been allotted to a Jalandhar-based private firm to set up the plant

An oxygen supply line has already been installed for 340-beds in the hospital

Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said after the commissioning of the plant, the Civil Hospital would not require supply of oxygen cylinders from outside. At present, it needs around 225-230 cylinders. The vendor would then be able to supply these cylinders to various private hospitals to meet their increased need in the wake of Covid pandemic.

The uninterrupted supply from the plant would ensure that no life was lost at the hospital due to the non-availability of oxygen. Oxygen supply line had already been installed for 340-beds in the hospital, he added.

The DC appealed to the people not to ignore flu-like symptoms and contact nearby health facilities immediately besides getting tested for Covid so that the infection chain could be snapped.

Executive Engineer, Punjab Health Systems Corporation, Sukhchain Singh said the company had already started the work and placed an order for importing an oxygen-storage tank. He said a team of officials had been monitoring the work regularly.

Anesthetist Dr Paramjit Singh said, “There has been a steady increase in Covid patients recently. Many of them report in very serious condition. At present, around 200 patients are on ventilator support at the Civil Hospital. The setting up of oxygen plant will go a long way in saving the lives of such patients.”