To ensure adequate oxygen supply to COVID-19 patients waiting for hospitalisation at the Government Erode Medical College Hospital (GEMCH) at Perundurai, two vehicles fitted with oxygen concentrators are stationed on the hospital premises.
Sponsored by Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana, Minister for Housing and Urban Development S. Muthusamy flagged off the vehicles with oxygen concentrators of five litres capacity each at the Corporation’s Central Office at Panneerselvam Park on Monday.
Each concentrator could supply oxygen to four patients at a time, thus helping save lives while waiting at the hospital.
Since the concentrators do not require refilling, it could be used continuously for two to three hours.
Corporation Commissioner M. Elangovan told The Hindu patients could utilise the service free of cost. More vehicles would be added in the coming days, he added.
Currently, all the 550 beds at the hospital were occupied and patients were forced to wait for hours in the ambulances to get admitted.
Since COVID-19 cases are on the rise, work began to add 500 more beds to the existing capacity. While 300 beds will be ready within 10 days, another 200 beds will be ready in 25 days.
