Karnataka's First Oxygen Converter Plant Will Be Installed In Virajpet Government Hospital In The Kodagu District

Kodagu has been Karnataka's first district to receive approval for an oxygen converter plant. The machinery is being built at the Virajpet Government Hospital right now.

Whenever the project is finished, roughly 100 beds will have a continuous oxygen supply for Covid patients. The oxygen converter plant with a capacity of one tonne is planned to be operational in the next 15 days. The plant will cost Rs 1 crore to construct.

While the Madikeri Covid-19 Hospital was the district's only facility for treating severe and moderate Covid patients, the administration constructed dedicated Covid care centers (CCCs) in the taluks of Virajpet and Somwarpet. The 50-bed capacity CCC in Virajpet Hospital, though, remained closed because of a scarcity of large oxygen cylinders.

Dr. Yatiraj, Virajpet taluk Health Officer said that once the plant is constructed they don't need to be concerned about oxygen shortage and they had also proposed large cylinders of oxygen. He also said that once the plant is built they would not need any cylinders further.

Meanwhile, the current 50 oxygen-equipped beds are being enlarged to 98 beds, all of which will be connected to the oxygen-conversion facility. During this time, due to a scarcity of oxygen cylinders, no Covid-19 patients are being treated at the center.

The Scope Foundation, led by US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, has provided medical supplies to Kodagu worth Rs 70 lakh. Senior attorney HS Chandramouli presented the supplies to Deputy Commissioner Charulatha Somal on Sunday. Scope Foundation gave a number of advanced medical equipment, including 70 oxygen converters, 70 medical transformers, 5,000 face shields, Rs 1.30 lakh worth of N95 masks, 50 oxygen tubes, and 25 oximeters. After Chandramauli, a local of the district, contacted Dr. Vivek's father, Lakshmi Narasimha Murthy, the foundation agreed to help Kodagu.