Two PSA oxygen plants commissioned in Lakshadweep on Independence Day

Kochi: To provide better health care facilities to the people of Lakshadweep and to reduce the archipelago's dependency on the mainland for medical oxygen supply, two PSA oxygen plants were commissioned there on Sunday on the occasion of the 75th Independence Day. Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen generating plants, as the name suggests, manufactures medical grade oxygen, thereby helping hospitals to become self-sufficient where the life-saving gas is concerned.

The two PSA plants have been commissioned in the islands of Kavaratti and Agatti and with that there will now be three such plants in the archipelago, the Lakshadweep Administration said in a release.

Earlier, a plant was commissioned in June in Minicoy island.

The administration, in the release, has said that earlier "there was total dependence on oxygen cylinders and concentrators for medical oxygen supply in the islands and they were required to be taken to Kerala for refilling, which becomes a herculean task, especially during the monsoon period.

The new plants have a oxygen generating capacity of 200 litres per minute and were commissioned under the PM-CARES fund, the release said.

It further said that establishment of the two plants was in line with the mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to boost the availability of oxygen to hospitals and to cater to the increased demand of oxygen during the COVID-19 pandemic times.

"The newly commissioned oxygen plants will strengthen the public health system in the islands and will enable long-term systematic augmentation of medical infrastructure in a cost effective manner," it said.

It also said that the installation of the PSA plants was a step towards reducing the dependency of hospitals on the system of "store and supply" and to enable hospitals to have their own oxygen generation capacity, so as to meet emergency requirements.

"This will not only increase the total oxygen availability pool of Lakshadweep, but also facilitate providing oxygen support to patients in a timely manner," the release said.