Two private hospitals in Chandigarh are ready to install pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen generation equipment to prepare for the possible third wave of Covid.

The UT government said on Wednesday that at the same time, three other private institutions are expected to follow suit.

PSA is a process that produces oxygen-rich gas from ambient air.

The central government requires private hospitals or clinical institutions with more than 50 beds to install oxygen generators. This move was made after several states and UT complained about the lack of oxygen in government and private hospitals during the second wave of Covid peaks.

In response, Utah Health Secretary Yashpal Garg held a meeting with private hospitals on Wednesday to review their reactions.

"Eden Hospital has placed an order to install a PSA oxygen concentrator, which is expected to be put into use at the end of October this year. In addition, Shri Dhanwantry Hospital is in the late stages of completing the purchase of a 250 LPM plant," Garg said, adding Land Mark Hospital , Healing Hospital and Mukat Hospital are in the late stages of negotiations with factory manufacturers or suppliers and the authorities and will submit their final plans before October 31.

At the same time, Caitanya Hospital and Santoh Hospital are installing liquid oxygen tank trucks and purchasing some oxygen generators for emergencies. The Yunjiu Hospital in Chandigarh and the Chandigarh City Hospital also purchased oxygen generators.

So far, the four government health agencies in Chandigarh have installed four oxygen plants with a cumulative production capacity of 3,600 liters of medical oxygen (LPM) per minute. In addition, with the help of donations from non-governmental organizations, government hospitals in Utah are setting up another four oxygen generators. Once put into operation, UT's internal power generation capacity will increase by 2,000 LPM oxygen.

During the second wave, as the patient's load increased, the demand for oxygen suddenly peaked, and UT management had to ask the center to increase its oxygen quota from 20 metric tons to 35 metric tons. During the second wave, the UT health department wisely distributed 20 tons of oxygen between the government and private hospitals.

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