Govt Approves 162 Pressure Swing Adsorption Plants To Boost Medical Oxygen Production By 154 MT

In a bid to meet the surging need for medical oxygen in the wake of the strong second wave of COVID-19 cases in the nation, the Government has sanctioned the installation of 162 pressure swing adsorption (PSA) plants in public health facilities in all States, reports Times of India.

This gains significance as the PSA plants which are used to manufacture oxygen will help turn hospitals self-sufficient in meeting their need for medical oxygen, while also reducing the burden on the national grid which is already facing supply challenges.

Of the total 162 PSA plants sanctioned by the Government, 33 have already been installed. Five of these have been installed in Madhya Pradesh, four in Himachal Pradesh, three each in Chandigarh, Gujarat and Uttarakhand, two each in Bihar, Karnataka and Telangana, and one each in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

By the end of April, it is expected that 59 more of these plants will be operational, with 80 more becoming functional by end of May. Once all the 162 PSA plants are operationalised, these will help boost the national production of medical oxygen by 154.19 MT.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that the States have asked for more than 100 such additional plants, which are also being sanctioned as per a statement issued by the Union Ministry of Health.