New Delhi, Apr 25 (IANS): In line with the Prime Minister's direction to boost the availability of oxygen to hospitals, the PM CARES Fund has given in-principle approval for the allocation of funds for the installation of 551 dedicated Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) medical oxygen generation plants inside public health facilities in the country.

In a statement, the Prime Minister Office (PMO) said, "The Prime Minister has directed that these plants should be made functional as soon as possible. The Prime Minister 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/UTs. The procurement will be done through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The PM CARES Fund had earlier this year allocated Rs 201.58 crore for the installation of additional 162 dedicated Pressure Swing Adsorption (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 would address the day to day medical oxygen needs of these hospitals and the district. In addition, the liquid medical oxygen (LMO) would serve as a "top-up" to the captive oxygen generation," the PMO said. The statement further stated that 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.