Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao inaugurated a Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plant at the Government Hospital for Chest and Communicable Diseases (GHCCD) here on Thursday.
The plant, established at a cost of ₹130 lakh, under the PM Cares Fund, has a capacity of 1,000 LPM (Litres Per Minute). The civil works were executed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and equipment provided by the Union government.
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s vision was to strengthen the healthcare sector in the State. The new facility would ensure availability of oxygen to 100 of the 300 beds at the chest hospital, eliminating the need to have separate oxygen cylinders.
He said that people of East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts depend on Visakhapatnam city for their medical needs. Though the need for oxygen was not felt during the first wave of COVID-19, it was unfortunate that several deaths had occurred due to acute scarcity of oxygen during the second wave. While expressing hope that there would be no third wave, he said that the State government was prepared to deal with the situation. He appealed to the citizens to observe social distance, wear masks in public places and observe all COVID-19 protocols, without becoming complacent during the festival season.
Joint Collector Arun Babu, VMRDA Chairperson A. Vijayanirmala, officials of the Medical and Health Department, Executive Engineer of APMSIDC and paramedical staff participated in the programme.
