Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ma. Subramanian on Sunday inaugurated two medical oxygen generators at the Government Headquarters Hospital, Pollachi.
The two units, which together could generate 1,667 litres of oxygen per minute (LPM), would equip the hospital to produce adequate volume of oxygen in the event of a possible third wave of COVID-19, he said.
Of the two plants, one with an oxygen enriched airflow rate of 1,000 LPM was installed at a cost of about ₹ 1 crore with funds from the Union Government.
Another plant with 667 LPM capacity was set up at a cost of ₹ 85 lakh using the corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding by ACT Grants, a non-profit coalition.
Mr. Subramanian said 19 such oxygen generation plants were installed in Coimbatore district, making it self-reliant in terms of medical oxygen. He said the district reeled under the pandemic in May end. The Chief Minister initiated the CSR funding in COVID-19 management and enhanced facilities to save the State from getting into such a situation again, he said.
The Minister also released a COVID-19 awareness video brought out by the Coimbatore district administration in the presence of District Collector G.S. Sameeran, Pollachi MP K. Shanmugasundaram, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine T.S. Selvavinayagam, Pollachi sub-collector Thakare Shubham Dnyandeorao and other senior officials.
The Minister later visited the inter-State check post at Meenakshipuram to check screening of people coming from Kerala.
He told media persons checking was tightened at the 13 check posts and also at the railway stations in view of high numbers of COVID-19 cases in Kerala and a recently reported case of Nipah virus.
