The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is all geared up to set up five medical oxygen plants in the first week of May in and around Delhi. The funding for setting up these plants is being done through PM-Cares Fund. These plants will be installed at AIIMS Trauma Centre, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RML), Safdarjung Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College and one at AIIMS, Jhajjar in Haryana, according to a Defence Ministry press release on Tuesday. Two of these oxygen plants reached Delhi on Tuesday and are being installed at AIIMS and RML Hospitals respectively.
These medical oxygen plants are designed for a flow rate of 1,000 litres per minute (LPM). The system can cater to 190 patients at a flow rate of 5 LPM and charge 195 cylinders per day. The Medical Oxygen Plant (MOP) technology has been developed by DRDO based on the “Onﾩ\Board Oxygen Generation for LCA, Tejas”. Council of scientific and industrial research or CSIR has also ordered 120 MOP plants through its industries, the release further added.
These have been supplied by Trident Pneumatics Pvt. Ltd., Coimbatore which is technology partner of DRDO and has been given an order of 48 plants. another order for 332 plants has been placed with Tata Advanced Systems and the delivery will start from midﾨCMay, the release said, adding that the delivery schedule is being monitored very closely and the sites are being prepared at each hospital in parallel.
Meanwhile, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday reviewed the oxygen plant installed at the Covid-19 care centre at Commonwealth Games Complex in the capital. He said that more oxygen plants will be installed at CWG village to provide sustained access to oxygen and treat patients swiftly. Sisodia also said that the work to set up 500 ICU beds at Ramlila Ground is in full swing and hoped it will be ready for citizens within next week. Delhi Government has decided to convert Ramlila Ground into a Covid care centre.