The second wave of coronavirus saw the country gaasping for breath, literally. Severe oxygen shortage were reported from across the country and the capital, Delhi, was one of the worst hit. With many experts pointing to a possible third wave soon, PM Narendra Modi decided to take stock of the situation.
On Friday (July 9), the PM chaired a high-level meeting to review the augmentation and availability of medical oxygen across the country.
Officials discussed with the Prime Minister and briefed him about the progress on the installation of PSA Oxygen plants across the country. More than 1500 PSA Oxygen plants are coming up across the nation. The PMO informed that the PSA Oxygen plants contributed by PM Cares Fund will support more than 4 lakh oxygenated beds.
At the review meeting, PM Modi asked officials to ensure oxygen plants are functional at the earliest and that they should closely with the state governments for the same.
"Ensure training of hospital staff on operation and maintenance of oxygen plants. Each district should have trained personnel," the PM told the officials. The prime minister was informed by officials that a training module prepared by experts is in place, and they are targeting training of around 8,000 people across the country.
Modi also asked them to deploy advanced technology like IoT to track the performance and functioning of these oxygen plants at the local and national level. He was informed by officials that a pilot exercise is being done using IoT for monitoring the performance of the oxygen plants, the PMO said.
Earlier, the Union cabinet approved a Rs 23,123-crore package for improving health infrastructure to fight COVID-19 as part of which around 2.4 lakh medical beds and 20,000 ICU ones would be created with a special focus on paediatric care.
(With PTI inputs)
