More oxygen-supported beds

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 26

Amid the shortage of oxygen and beds in hospitals, Haryana has decided to add 3,850 more oxygen-supported beds.

Senior IAS officer PK Das, who has been specially deputed for increasing the bed strength, said in the next seven days, 2,750 oxygen-supported beds would be added in medical colleges. At present, there are 1,750 such beds.

“About 100-beds will be added in Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hospital in Faridabad by Thursday which will be manned by the Army personnel,” said Das.

He added that oxygen in gas form is available at the Panipat IOCL refinery and Jindal Steel facility in Hisar. But for transportation, it has to be converted into liquid state. “We are planning to set up 500-bed facility each in Panipat, near the IOCL refinery and Hisar near the Jindal Steel facility. The oxygen will be directly supplied there. These will be temporary hospitals. These will come up in the next 15 days. The work has started,” he said.

“We are carrying out analysis of our needs in the coming days by extrapolating figures,” he said. On oxygen shortage, he held a meeting with Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Vijayendra Kumar, for diverting industrial oxygen for medical use.

“We will need over 200 MT oxygen per day in the coming days. At present, we are getting 162 MT per day. I hope we will be able to meet the demand through industry,” he said.

He said the state had enough number of ventilators.

On the shortage of beds in Panchkula and Gurugram, he said a temporary hospital would come up in Gurugram. “The Command Hospital under the Western Command would be approached for help,” he added.

Rohtak: CM Manohar Lal Khattar has said the state government was making all-out efforts to supply medical oxygen in adequate quantity to Covid patients.

“Haryana has an oxygen quota of 162 MT. It has been increased to 200 MT. Besides, 240 MT of oxygen has been sought from the Centre. The number of beds earmarked for Covid patients was being increased from 350 to 1,000 at the PGIMS,” he told the media after having taken stock of the healthcare services at the PGIMS here today.

CM inspects site for hospital

Hisar: Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday inspected Om Prakash Jindal Modern School, the site which has been finalised for a temporary Covid hospital here. It will be one of the two 500-bed hospitals announced by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The other one will be in Panipat. tns