ITANAGAR, 23 Jun: Chief Minister Pema Khandu inaugurated two oxygen plants-one at the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) in Naharlagun and the other at the dedicated Covid hospital (DCH) in Chimpu.
The plant at TRIHMS has a capacity of producing 600 liters of oxygen per minute (LPM), while the DCH plant has a capacity of 500 LPM.
The plants have been donated by the UNDP. The third plant of 300 LPM capacity, also donated by the UNDP, is being installed at the Bakin Pertin General Hospital, Pasighat in East Siang district and will be functional soon, Khandu said.
Another oxygen generator of 1000 LPM capacity will be installed at TRIHMS soon by the Defence Research and Development Organization, the chief minister informed.
“Oxygen support has been provided to all the district hospitals, the dedicated Covid hospitals and the dedicated Covid health centres. This is also being extended to CHCs and select PHCs and as standby, to some Covid care centres to achieve our target of making available 1000 oxygen-beds by July-end. From 164 oxygen beds as on 2 May, we today have 815 beds,” he said.
“As on date, nine pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen generating plants-one each of 100 LPM capacity at Aalo, Seppa, Tezu, Tawang, Yingkiong and Ziro-are operational. Further, five UNICEF supported PSA plants are in advanced stages of being commissioned and are expected to be operational before 15 July,” Khandu said.
He said that the state government’s focus to develop health infrastructure to deal with the pandemic resulted in establishment of 63 Covid care centres, 35 dedicated Covid health centres, two dedicated Covid hospitals at Chimpu and Pasighat with 33 ICU beds to medically manage and provide treatment for all categories of patients.
“From no labs capable of testing for SARS-CoV-2, we now have two RT-PCR Labs-one each at BPGH, Pasighat and TRIHMS and True-Nat Labs in all the districts. For mild home isolation cases, we are providing medical kits and the patients are regularly monitored by 73 rapid response teams constituted for the purpose,” he informed.
Khandu credited the healthcare providers for the state’s daily Covid test average, which stands at 3,286 per million of population as against the WHO recommended daily test per million population of 140. He said an average of 5,700 daily tests is being conducted currently.
“In the last two weeks from 10 June, 2021 onwards, we have witnessed a 13 percent decline in overall weekly new Covid-19 cases, and in the preceding one week, an average of around 300 Covid-19 cases have recovered daily from the disease, bringing our recovery rate to 91.6 percent,” he informed.
In the wake of a third-wave threat, he informed that the state government has constituted a “Core Group of Experts on Covid-19 Surveillance & Containment” for assessment, preparedness and management measures related to possible resurgence of Covid-19.
He said paediatricians will be extensively consulted and included in the process as it is speculated that the third-wave may infect people below 18 years.
He further informed that 60 CHCs in each assembly constituency, identified in consultation with local MLAs, will be equipped with Indian Public Health Standards basic medical equipments of different types. (CM’s PR cell)
