Amid the high demand for medical oxygen in hospitals due to the second wave of COVID-19 in the country, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his attention over the lowering quota for the state in allocating Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants by the Centre.
"I have already written to you regarding the availability of liquid medical oxygen in the current COVID pandemic situation, and while results on that front are generally awaited, I invite your kind particular attention to one specific issue: PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) plants. You are kindly aware that PSA plants are meant to enable the hospitals to make oxygen out of the air in the environment, and the PSA plant is a great apparatus for a hospital needing to serve patients in dire need of oxygen," wrote the chief minister in her letter to the Prime Minister.
She said the central government apparently has been contemplating supplying PSA plants to hospitals in states for some time now but the matter is not progressing much.
"Priorities are being fixed and re-fixed, implementing agencies (DRDO, NHAI) are being settled and unsettled, the quota for West Bengal is being downwardly revised and further downwardly revised every day. We were told we shall get 70 PSA plants, now we are told that we shall get four in the first phase with no clarity on the remaining PSA plants! I request you to kindly get the priorities; implementing agencies, and quota fixed, justly, fairly, and quickly. Our own supplementary PSA- installation plans by our state agencies and on the strength of our own funds are getting disturbed because of the indecisiveness at Delhi," stated Banerjee.
The chief minister emphasised that the fight against the COVID pandemic can be won only with concerted effort.
"I would like to reiterate my firm belief that this battle against COVID will be won with coordinated and collaborative efforts of all stakeholders in augmenting infrastructure. I am looking forward to your kind intervention and cooperation in this regard urgently," she said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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