Amid plant failure, Faridabad Civil Hospital relies on outsourced oxygen

As the Health Department has issued advisories to tackle the threat of the HMPV virus, the infrastructure for oxygen production at the civil hospital in Faridabad remains in poor condition. The main oxygen production plant, capable of producing 1,000 litres per minute (LPM), has been non-operational for nearly two years due to a lack of repair and maintenance.

Key issues at a glance

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Main oxygen plant capacity: 1,000 litres per minute, non-operational since 2022

Operational backup plant: 200 litres per minute, insufficient to meet demand

Reason for failure: No AMC or regular maintenance, damaged machinery parts

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Current oxygen supply: 50 Type-D cylinders procured externally each month

Daily patient load: 2,200 in OPD, 100 in emergency

Despite having an in-house facility with state-of-the-art capacity, the hospital is primarily dependent on external sources to meet its oxygen requirements. According to sources, the 1,000 LPM plant, set up under a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, stopped producing oxygen at required norms in 2022 due to technical issues.

Although the hospital has a smaller plant with a capacity of 200 LPM, it fails to meet the demand, forcing authorities to procure oxygen externally. “The main plant can produce oxygen, but the purity level has been below 92%, rendering it useless,” revealed a hospital employee on condition of anonymity. Damaged parts of the machinery are said to be the cause of improper distillation, leading to higher impurity levels in the oxygen output.

The lack of an annual maintenance contract (AMC) with the company concerned and irregular upkeep has been cited as the primary reasons for the plant’s redundancy. “The maintenance cost for the plant is around Rs 5 lakh per year, but no budget has been sanctioned yet,” said a source.

The issue has also affected the oxygen supply infrastructure, with many flow meters and oxygen points on the gas pipeline lying non-functional.

However, senior medical officer Dr Vikas Goel assured there is no shortage of oxygen at the hospital. “We maintain supply with 50 Type-D oxygen cylinders procured from outside each month. Additionally, the 200 LPM plant is operational, though it does not offer piped supply,” he said.

The hospital, which caters to around 2,200 patients in the OPD and nearly 100 in the emergency daily, has brought the matter to the attention of higher authorities, Dr Goel added.