1,594 PSA PLANTS BEING SET UP, WILL REDUCE DEPENDENCY ON OXYGEN CYLINDERS: HEALTH MINISTRY

In the wake of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) shortage across the country, the Union Health Ministry on Friday said that as many as 1,594 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants are being established across the country to meet the increased demand for oxygen due to rising Covid-19 cases.

During a briefing on the Covid-19 scenario, Additional Secretary (Health) Arti Ahuja said that 162 PSA plants have been sanctioned, out of which 71 have already been installed and 109 more will be installed by the end of May. “1,594 PSA plants are being established across the country. This will reduce our dependency on oxygen cylinders,” the Additional Secretary (Health) said.

The Union Health Ministry, in the last two days, reviewed eight states—Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Haryana, Odisha, and Uttarakhand—where the trajectory of the cases is increasing. “The continual emphasis on test, track and treat, and containment measures remain the same,” said Ahuja. The MHA has also issued an advisory to the states to provide an uninterrupted power supply.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Railways on Friday said that Oxygen Expresses have delivered more than 2,960 metric tonnes (MT) of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) in 185 tankers to different states. “Overcoming all hurdles and finding new solutions, Indian Railways is continuing its journey of bringing relief by delivering LMO to various states across the country. So far, Indian Railways has delivered more than 2960 MT of LMO in 185 tankers to various states across the country,” read a statement from the Ministry of Railways. 47 Oxygen Expresses have already completed their journey so far. It is Indian Railways endeavour to deliver as much LMO as possible in the shortest time possible to the requesting states, the statement read. As per the statement, till Friday evening, 174 MT has been offloaded in Maharashtra, 729 MT in Uttar Pradesh, 249 MT in Madhya Pradesh, 305 MT in Haryana, etc.