To improve oxygen supply in Uttar Pradesh amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the UP government’s excise and sugar industry and sugarcane production departments have begun the process of installing oxygen generators across the state for patients, the excise and sugar industry and sugarcane development department announced in a statement on Saturday.
Officials from the department have identified 75 districts where the plants will be located in different hospitals. The work has already started in 27 districts, “while the remaining districts will receive them soon,” according to the official statement.
So far, the work in Saharanpur, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Pratapgarh, Aligarh, Etah, and Hathras has been completed. Sitapur, Kasganj, Badaun, Barabanki, Ayodhya, and Shamli are also included.
“With the joint efforts of the Excise, Sugar Industry, and Sugarcane Development Departments, approximately 30 Excise Department units and 45 sugar mills have ensured that there is at least one community health center or district hospital with 35-45 beds and full-time oxygen supply through oxygen generators in every district,” it said.
The district magistrate and chief central officer would select the hospitals for the mission.
According to the statement, the project would cost between 50 and 60 lakh rupees per hospital. A letter has also been sent to Air India, requesting that the machines be airlifted and sent to the hospitals as soon as possible.
Covid-19 is wreaking havoc in Uttar Pradesh, spreading beyond major cities into towns and villages in India’s most populated state. The state announced 28,076 new Covid-19 cases, 33,117 discharges, and 372 deaths on Friday.
The crippling Covid-19 wave has resulted in a serious shortage of oxygen tanks, and patients’ families are unable to locate vital medications.
On Friday, the Allahabad High Court asked the Uttar Pradesh government for an update on the Covid-19 situation in the countryside, as well as the steps it is considering to stem the outbreak.
Concerning the state’s vaccination campaign, a Bench comprised of Justice Siddharth Verma and Justice Ajit Kumar asked the government for a scheme that would enable all residents of the state to be immunized over the next three to four months.
The next hearing of this case will be held on May 11.
