New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided that every district should now have its own oxygen plant in order to secure supplies. All districts will be getting such oxygen plants from the PM Cares Fund.

Several hospitals in the national capital and other parts of the country have over the past week repeatedly either run out for some time or come close to running out of oxygen that can help patients with Covid-19 who needs assistance with their breathing to stay alive. 162 such oxygen plants are already in process after sanction through PM Cares Fund and 551 more plants have now been sanctioned today through PM Cares Fund.”

“The idea is that each district should have its own captive oxygen generation plant. This will mostly be in the government hospital in each district headquarters which will cater to the oxygen requirement of that district and act as a safety net. For most conditions, this plant would be able to cater to the oxygen needs of that district and can be topped up with additional supplies if required,” a senior government official told to media persons.

Such a system will go a long way in ensuring that government hospitals in the districts do not face sudden disruption of oxygen supplies and have access to adequate uninterrupted oxygen supply to manage the Covid-19 patients and other patients needing such support,” the government statement said. Having oxygen generation plants in government hospitals will also enable long-term systematic augmentation of medical oxygen availability in a cost-effective manner.