100 New oxygen planted hospitals under PM-CARES Fund: Current Affairs Special Series 

Team Adda247 and BankersAdda are here with a Current Affairs Special Series for SBI and IBPS interview 2021.  In this series, candidates will be introduced to current affairs topics daily, which will not only improve their general awareness but also will ensure that the candidates do not lack if any current affairs topic is asked in the interview. Today’s Current Affairs topic is 100 New oxygen planted hospitals under PM-CARES Fund

100 New oxygen planted hospitals under PM-CARES Fund

Union Health Ministry said that 100 new hospitals that have their own oxygen plant will be set up in the country under Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) Fund. 

The decision has been taken place at a meeting of the Empowered Group (EG2) which was held to review the availability of essential medical equipment and oxygen during COVID. The ministry also said that Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants manufacture oxygen and help hospitals become self-sufficient in their requirement for medical oxygen. It said, 162 PSA plants have been already sanctioned under PM-CARES are being closely supervised for the early completion of 100 percent of the plants to enhance the self-generation of oxygen in hospitals especially in remote areas. The Empowered Group 2 has also suggested the Health Ministry identify 100 hospitals in remote areas for consideration of sanction for installation of PSA plants.

The Health Ministry in a statement said that Medical oxygen performs a very crucial role in the treatment of Covid affected patients and there has been increasing demand for medical oxygen in the high burden of active cases states namely, Maharashtra, MP, Gujarat, UP, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. The ministry believed those sources of medical oxygen and their production capacity were mapped to match the requirement of states and an indicative framework has been developed to guide the states. 

The Empowered Group 2 is closely monitoring the situation of demand and supply of medical oxygen to ensure all necessary steps have been taken to support the uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen.