Guwahati, March 29: A pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plant with 500 LPM (litres per minute) capacity has been set up at the Cardiothoracic Neuroscience Centre of Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) aimed at supplying pure medical oxygen to 400 beds.
Assam health and family welfare minister, Keshab Mahanta dedicated the plant to the people of the state on Wednesday.
Notably, Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of healthcare and agriculture, set up the oxygen plant at the CN Centre of GMCH in partnership with LabourNet as part of its CSR initiative.
Bayer is dedicated to enhancing healthcare facilities in rural and underserved areas of the country, and as part of this commitment, it has scaled the plant to support CN Centre of GMCH, the largest tertiary care hospital with 2500 beds, catering to a population of over ten lakh people in Guwahati, as well as patients from neighbouring districts.
“The state government’s aim is to provide affordable healthcare to every citizen of Assam and is equipping state-run hospitals with modern critical equipment like oxygen plants to meet any future eventuality. I am happy that the health department’s efforts are being supported by corporate houses like Bayer. I hope that more corporate houses will shift their focus to the North-Eastern part of the country,” the health minister said.
The plant will provide an adequate oxygen supply to meet the hospital’s demand, enabling it to provide high-quality healthcare services to the community.
The plant has been designed to cater to the high demand for medical-grade oxygen at the hospital.
With a capacity to generate, supply and store 93 to 95 percent pure medical oxygen, the plant will provide oxygen supply to oxygenated beds, CCUs, ICUs and operation theatres.
The plant is primarily intended to support the 300-bed unit at the CN Centre in GMCH. When operated for eight hours a day, it can produce 2,02,500 litres of oxygen in a year, equivalent to 1800 oxygen cylinders.
The installation of the dedicated oxygen plant at GMCH is set to provide a consistent and reliable supply of oxygen, which is crucial for saving the lives of critically-ill patients at the hospital.
As a regional centre for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, GMCH has been catering to patients not just from Guwahati but also from other parts of the state.
With increased demand for medical care, particularly during the pandemic, the installation of the plant is a precautionary measure to ensure that patients requiring critical care have access to adequate oxygen support.