Hyderabad: Gandhi Hospital breathes easy with booster dose of oxygen

Hyderabad: In order to ensure enough oxygen supply to general and Covid-19 patients the Central and the State government have taken steps to prevent the scarcity of oxygen at the State-run Gandhi Hospital that has been a nodal centre to treat Covid patients since the first wave of the pandemic.

The government has sanctioned liquid medical oxygen (LMO) gas vessels each with a total capacity of 20 KL that can supply oxygen approximately for 30 days in normal conditions.

With the installation of LMO at the Gandhi Hospital, the fear of running out of oxygen gas cylinder will decline. The 20 KL gas vessel is equivalent to 2,400 jumbo/D type oxygen cylinders. The need for oxygen has risen amid the pandemic as these are highly needed by Covid patients and the non-Covid patients. The Gandhi Hospital has two oxygen tanks with the capacity of 2KL and 6 KL. This allows thousands of patients who are on ventilator to receive 24 hours oxygen. The Centre has set up two oxygen plants from PM Cares Funds of Rs 2.5 crore. These two units produce 2,000 litres of liquid oxygen.

Superintendent of Gandhi Hospital, Dr Raja Rao said, "It will be very helpful for patients as there is a 15-km oxygen pipeline system connecting all wards of the emergency department along with 8 floors of the main building of the hospital."

According to the State Public Health Department, 26,498 Covid cases are under isolation and getting treated for the Covid-19. A total of 1,066 oxygen beds are occupied in the State.