Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Oct 9: Set up at an estimated cost of Rs 168 lakh the newly installed Oxygen plant in Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) Hospital, Jammu, has been set into motion. However, the plant is presently on trial basis and will be handed over by the concerned Mechanical Division to Hospital authorities in the first week of November.
According to the sources, the process to install the plant (having capacity of 500 lpm) in the hospital started in the beginning of this financial year with the objective of providing uninterrupted oxygen supply in Emergency Ward, Operation Theatres, Critical Care Units (CCUs) and Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of the hospital.
“After completing formalities, the project was given to a Delhi Based firm namely M/S Uttam Air Products Private Limited, which completed the installation work of the machine in the 1st week of June but due to some pending construction work, it could not be made functional. However, after completion of the same, the plant was put to use on trial basis on September 1 for two months after which it will be handed over to the medical authorities”, sources said.
They further said that if the plant runs well it will save a big sum of Rs 54 lakh every year, which the hospital authorities earlier used to spend on purchasing of oxygen cylinders from the market and with in a period of three years the plant will also meet its cost.
When contacted, Executive Engineer (XEn), Mechanical Division, GMCH Jammu, Ashok Singh said that the Plant is presently put on trial for two months and has not been handed over to the hospital authorities. “It will be handed over to them only after our complete satisfaction”, he added.
“Presently the plant is being handled by technicians of the company, who are also giving training in handling the plant to some employees of the hospital”, Singh further disclosed.
Giving details about the plant, Singh said that this is the first Oxygen plant in the hospital, which has the capacity of 500 lpm and has been raised at estimated cost of Rs 168 lakh. “Moreover, a high pressure booster has also been attached with the plant to fill empty cylinders, which can be stored as a back-up in case of any snag in the plant”, he said.
However, he regretted that the plant cannot be run in case of power cuts in the absence of a separate DG Set, which is needed to provide uninterrupted and round the clock oxygen supply to the Emergency Ward, Operation Theatres, Critical Care Units (CCUs) and Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of the hospital.
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