GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 14

Much to the apathy of the Centre, the medical oxygen plant set up by the SGPC at Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Vallah, could not be made operational.

The reason is that despite repeated reminders, the Centre was not inclined to supply liquid oxygen leading to difficulties in treating the Covid patients. Leaving nothing to chance, the SGPC resorted to install two special units that would generate oxygen from atmospheric air with the help of pressure swing absorption (PSA) technique.

Eight months ago, after getting requisite approvals from the PM’s office and the Ministry of Health, the SGPC had entered into an MoU with a Gujarat-based firm, Inox, to set up a full-fledged oxygen generation plant on the basis of operation and maintenance (O&M) mode.

Hospital dean Dr AP Singh said, “Now, that the pandemic impact has escalated and critical patients were under treatment, so we fell short of oxygen as the firm showed helplessness in operating the plant for the want of the Centre’s nod to provide the liquid oxygen. Once we get it, it would have a capacity to produce medical gas equivalent to at least 170 cylinders a day, making all our hospitals self-reliant,” he added. SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur said numerous reminders to the PM office and Health Ministry were sent, but in vain. She said as an alternative, two PSA oxygen generation units worth Rs 2.5 crore were being installed at Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Vallah.