Following the increase in demand for oxygen due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in Jammu and Kashmir, the oxygen plant established by the administration at the district hospital in Shopian has been made operational.
Medical Superintendent of the district hospital Dr Muhammad Ismail toldthat the capacity of the oxygen plant is 1000 litres per minute.
"The hospital has also stocked bulk and medium-sized cylinders and oxygen concentrators for the patients with medium and severe infection," Ismail said.
"The step taken by the UT administration of making the oxygen plant functional will help many patients, especially those who come from far-flung areas," he added.
The local residents hailed the step of the Jammu and Kashmir administration for setting up the oxygen plant.
Tanveer Ahmad, a local resident said that earlier the patients were referred to the hospitals in Pulwama or Srinagar due to lack of facilities but in recent times the facilities in the district hospital are being geared up to help the local patients.
"The oxygen plant that is made functional here is very useful as we do not have to take the patient suffering from COVID to Pulwama or Srinagar," Ahmad said.
Mudasir Ahmad, another local resident, said that people are suffering due to an acute shortage of oxygen across the nation, and starting an oxygen plant was necessary for the people here too.
"Now the patients need not to be referred to the tertiary care hospital in Srinagar. This will save time for the patients," he added.
According to official data, there are 49,248 active cases of COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir.
( With inputs from ANI )
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