30-bed free oxygen shelter set up in Bhubaneswar

A few organisations in Bhubaneswar, Odisha have joined hands and established a 30-bed 'oxygen shelter' for patients, which will be free of cost, amid the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

The facility has been established at Trishna Banquet in the city by an organisation named Smile Please, Sparsh Hospital, and Odisha Society of America's - Health and Wellness Group (OSA-HWG) in a collaborative effort.

Smile Please organisation, which is headed by actor-turned-philanthropist Sabyasachi Mishra, said that the facility currently has 30 beds and there is scope for more.

"There has been a scarcity in the second wave which created a panic among people. We have started the facility with 30 beds after getting approval from Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC). We have the scope to increase the capacity. We will also address post-Covid oxygen requirements. We will do our best to save lives. The facility is free of cost, and food will also be provided. We will have dedicated ambulances to shift critical patients to hospital if needed," Mishra told ANI.

He further said that this is a pilot project and more such facilities will come up soon at Titilagarh, Talcher, Berhampur, and some important cities of Odisha.

Dr A Patjoshi of Sparsh Hospital, in charge of the facility, said, "The facility has been set up to help people with oxygen before they get a bed at a hospital since that is a very crucial time."

There are two categories - one for those who require less oxygen we have oxygen concentrators with a capacity of 4-5 litres per minute and second, for those who require high-pressure oxygen, we have jumbo oxygen cylinders, informed Dr Patjoshi.

A Covid recovered patient, Asutosh Mohanty, who was at the facility toldthat he was discharged 10 days ago but he suffers from respiratory problems and requires oxygen.

Speaking to ANI, Ansuman Rath, Deputy Commissioner, BMC, said, "This will act as a very good transit place for people, who want to get admitted to the hospitals. In addition, there is also a facility for giving treatment to patients who are suffering from post-Covid complications."

As per official data released by the state, Odisha recorded 7729 new cases on Covid-19 on Friday. There are 82679 active cases and 713055 people have recovered from the infection so far.

( With inputs from ANI )

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