Delhi approves Medical Oxygen Production Promotion Policy

Delhi Cabinet has approved its policy to promote medical oxygen production and provide incentives to private sector to invest in production plants, tankers and storage facilities for medical oxygen.

Highlights

  • Medical Oxygen Production Policy provides several incentives to private sector in order to set up oxygen production plants, invest in Oxygen tankers and set up oxygen storage facilities.
  • It will also help in improving oxygen availability in Delhi that faced a huge challenge in handling second Covid-19 wave.
  • Earlier in July, lieutenant governor Anil Baijal had reviewed the progress of 160 pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants which were to be installed in both public sector and private sector hospitals in Delhi.
  • These 160 PSA collectively have a production capacity of about 148 MT medical oxygen per day.
  • 34 PSA oxygen plants will be commissioned in different hospitals by October 31.
  • 66 PSA plants, including 17 under PMCARE fund, are being set up in Delhi government-run hospitals while 10 are being installed in central government hospitals. 84 will be set up in private hospitals.
  • Out of 66 plants in Delhi government hospitals, 36 have been commissioned, 3 are ready. Remaining PSA will be set commissioned by August 31.

Background

In April 2021, Delhi witnessed a huge surge in Covid-19 cases. Sudden increase in cases had left the healthcare infrastructure overwhelmed. Delhi was adding a daily average of 25,294 new Covid-19 cases in April. This condition got worse with severe crisis of medical oxygen.


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