Karnataka seeks Centre’s help as many oxygen plants installed during pandemic are not functioning

The oxygen generation plant at Government Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru which was formally commissioned in 2021.
| Photo Credit: file photo

As many as 75 of the 243 pressure swing absorption (PSA) oxygen plants installed under CSR and PM Cares funds and assistance from Railway Board and Ministry of Coal, among others, during the COVID-19 pandemic, are not functioning in State-run hospitals in Karnataka. 

While some of them need repairs, the remaining are not functioning owing to a lack of maintenance. Admitting that it is unable to bear the high maintenance costs of these plants, the State Health Department has now sought financial assistance from the Centre under the National Health Mission (NHM) funds for annual repair and maintenance of the PSA oxygen plants. 

Overall, the 243 plants have a capacity of generating 1,33,797 litres per minute (LPM). While three of these plants have a capacity of generating 2,000 LPM, 43 have a capacity of 1,000 LPM, and 112 have a capacity ranging between 500 and 960 LPM. As many as 85 plants generate less than 500 LPM. 

Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, who met Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda in October, submitted a memorandum seeking the Centre’s assistance for maintenance of the oxygen plants and ventilators allotted under PM Cares funds to the State.

Maintenance high, purity low

“The maintenance costs of these plants are quite high. Annually, we need to spend over ₹5 lakh on the maintenance of each of these plants. Besides, as the purity of oxygen generated through these plants is not more than 93%, it cannot be used in ICUs for critical patients. As the demand for oxygen was high during the pandemic, oxygen from these plants was used for patients in general wards,” the Health Minister said.

He said using oxygen cylinders in the ICUs for critical patients is not just more cost effective but also beneficial as the purity is better than that generated through the PSA plants.

Crisis during pandemic

Oxygen consumption in Karnataka that had remained at 120 tonnes per day on an average during the pre-pandemic period saw over a five-fold rise during the second wave in 2021. During May 2021, the death of 24 patients owing to oxygen shortage in Chamarajanagar district hospital prompted authorities to augment infrastructure and supply. 

Following the installation of the PSA oxygen plants, hospitals in the State claimed to be self-sufficient with a robust oxygen supply chain during the third wave in 2022. 

While the maximum usage in 2020 during the first wave was not more than 420 tonnes per day, consumption shot up to 581.79 tonnes by April 30, 2021, and further to 885 tonnes on May 22 in the same year, at its highest.

This unprecedented shortage hit patients hard as many hospitals that ran out of stock shifted patients to other facilities. The requirement in Bengaluru city alone was 285 tonnes per day during that year. 

The third wave did not see any rise in demand for oxygen and over 98% of the oxygen consumption has since been for patients with non-COVID ailments.