Srinagar: Chief Engineer, Mechanical Engineering Department, Kashmir, Rashid Ahmad Dar on Tuesday said that the department has played a proactive role to make sufficient quantity of oxygen sufficiently available to the hospitals associated with Government Medical College, Srinagar and Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir.
According to an official press release, he said that during the first phase of pandemic, oxygen demand in hospitals was less and the department was providing 8000 LPM to the hospitals associated with Director Health Services Kashmir, while oxygen provided to SKIMS Soura and SKIMS Bemina was 4000 LMP during the same phase.
During the second wave of Covid, oxygen demand has increased due to the surge in positive cases, Chief Engineer said and added that to increase oxygen production Mechanical Engineering Department (MED) has added 21000 LPM of oxygen besides increasing the oxygen capacity at SKIMS Soura and JVC Hospital by 3250 LPM.
As of now our capacity of oxygen production stands at 36000 LPM, Dar said, adding this means that the department has increased oxygen supply three times to the production in first phase.
He also added that the Industries department has revived another filling plant and is now supplying nearly 3000 oxygen cylinders in last few days.
He stated that it is due to these efforts that medical oxygen is sufficiently available in the hospitals across Kashmir division and added that due to the abundance of oxygen “our hospitals have been able to save lives of patients which has resulted in the decrease in mortality rate”.
He said with the collaboration of doctors, medical staff and by the efforts of MED, Kashmir would be able to flatten the curve and it is expected that worse phase would be over soon.
Regarding the preparation for the containment of prophesied third wave of Covid virus, Dar said that in coming days more oxygen plants will be installed at different hospitals to increase the capacity of oxygen production to 45000 LPM.
The total potential of oxygen plants installed at Government Medical College and its Associated Hospitals stood at 6000 LPM earlier which now stands at around more than 18000 LPM besides 1000 to 2000 LPM oxygen plants have been installed in District Hospitals so that the Covid patients don’t have to suffer for want of oxygen, or to be shifted to Srinagar hospitals.
Moreover, he said that oxygen plants with capacity of 1000 LPM each have been installed in SMHS Hospital Srinagar during last four days. The overall oxygen capacity built by MED at SMHS Hospital has been raised to 5600 LPM, he informed, adding that at the Chest Diseases Hospital, 1500 LPM plant was setup in last two days besides 1000 LPM oxygen plant at JLNM Hospital.
While explaining the status of oxygen in Kashmir compared with rest of the country, he said “Kashmir is the green spot on the map of India, taking the abundance of oxygen in consideration.”
As the oxygen demand has reduced comparatively, the Industries department is also providing oxygen cylinders to social organizations who are supplying oxygen to Covid patients in home isolation, he informed.
