'163 Oxygen Plants Have Been Set Up In State After Shortage During Second Wave': CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Madhya Pradesh has set up 163 oxygen plants, producing over 182 metric tonnes (MT) of the gas per day, after facing scarcity during the second wave of COVID; Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

The CM added that in March 2020 (before the COVID outbreak), no such plants were available in any of the state-run hospitals in the state. He further added that about 230 MT of medical oxygen will be generated daily when all 202 plants will become operational in Madhya Pradesh, he said.

Oxygen Capacity During COVID Second Wave

He said that work on these plants started after experiencing a lack of life-saving gas during the second wave of COVID. "The completion of the remaining 39 oxygen plants will be ensured by the end of this month," the CM said as reported by Money Control.

At present, a collective storage facility of 360 MT liquid oxygen is available in government medical colleges of the State.

Apart from this, liquid oxygen tanks, having a capacity of 6 kilolitres each and a collective capacity of 248 MT, are being set up in 34 district hospitals of the state, he added.

Apart from this, 13,956 oxygen concentrators have been made available in government hospitals and 1,350 in medical colleges of the state, as Chouhan said. He further added that the Centre has also provided 3,860 oxygen concentrators, he added.

In July, the state's Minister for Medical Education Vishvas Kailash Sarang said that Madhya Pradesh saw no deaths due to oxygen shortage during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Centre's statement made in Rajya Sabha that there were no such fatalities in the country is a fact.

The Jabalpur Principal Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, however, found this hard to believe.

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