Navy to operate oxygen plants in Andhra Pradesh hospitals

Amaravati/Visakhapatnam: Eastern Naval Command will operate and maintain oxygen plants in all government and teaching hospitals across the state. The decision was taken at the meeting of AP government's representative MT Krishna Babu with Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of Eastern Naval Command and chief managing director of Vizag Steel Plant on supply, storage and maintenance of oxygen in the state here on Saturday.

The Navy will take the responsibility of fixing leakages in oxygen plants, condition of plants and precautions to be taken in the plants.

Four special teams were formed and each team has management responsibilities in three to four districts. Arrangements are made to airlift these teams to the required locations if necessary. These teams will fix problems in supply of oxygen and solve other problems.

Principal secretary (health) Anil Kumar Singhal, addressing a press conference here on Saturday evening, said the ENC has also agreed to ferry 25 cryogenic tankers from abroad to the state.

"We have invited bids for purchase of liquid medical oxygen from foreign countries. As and when we find the sellers, the ENC will ship LMO to the state as well," Singhal said.

The ENC has also agreed to make available 50 beds at its base hospital INS Kalinga for (civilian) Covid-19 patients.

Besides, it would create another temporary facility with 150 beds at Kancharapalem in Visakhapatnam for civilian patients, the Principal Secretary added.

The state government would provide doctors and other medical support staff at these facilities.

Singhal said the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, has already readied a 200-bed facility for treating coronavirus-infected persons.

"RINL has agreed to create a facility of a total 1,000 beds in a phased manner," he added.

RINL has so far supplied 3,214 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen to AP and another 264 tonnes to Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Singhal said the Centre increased oxygen allocation to AP from 480 to 590 tonnes, "but even that is insufficient."

The AP government requested the Centre that at least 1,000 tonnes of oxygen be supplied to the state, that too from nearby sources.

The principal secretary said they have requested the department of space to supply oxygen from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota to meet the medical requirements, if ISRO was not using it.

On availability of beds for Covid-19 patients, Singhal said of the total 7,065 ICU beds (in both government and private hospitals), 6,300 were currently occupied.

Of the 23,525 beds with oxygen supply facility, 21,950 were filled. Another 14,784 patients were lodged in Covid Care Centres, he said.