JNIMS has enough oxygen stock: Director
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, June 05 2021: JNIMS director professor Th Bhimo has said that the hospital has enough stock of oxygen for treatment of COVID-19 patients admitted to the medical institute.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday at A-Block of JNIMS, Th Bhimo said that all three COVID-19 wards of the hospital have been inter-linked with a central oxygen pipeline supplied from six D-type oxygen cylinders and the oxygen required by patients are being supplied round the clock.

Condoling demise of one patient on June 3 on behalf of JNIMS and sharing pain and sorrow of the bereaved family, professor Bhimo said that death of the patient was not related with shortage of oxygen.

Since the onset of second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in April this year, two main hospitals of the state namely RIMS and JNIMS have given treatment to patients at their best level.

Since then, JNIMS has opened three COVID-19 wards and around 200 patients are undergoing treatment.

During the initial stage of the second wave, there was shortage of medical.

However, under the keen initiative of chief minister N Biren Singh, one medical oxygen plant was installed at JNIMS in a record time and it is producing 1,200 to 1,300 D-type oxygen cylinders daily.

Apart from this, one Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) oxygen plant has been set up in May this year and the plant is producing 150 to 160 B-type oxygen cylinders daily, he said.

To meet shortage of oxygen, government has been providing oxygen to JNIMS from private firms located at Patsoi and Bishnupur and the hospital could now stock 200 additional D-type oxygen cylinders.

All three COVID-19 wards of the hospital are being supplied oxygen throughout day and night on automatic basis irrespective of power outage or not from the central pipeline, he added.

The JNIMS director further said that chief minister Biren and his advisor Dr Sapam Ranjan along with director (health) have inspected the land for installation of two more PSA oxygen plants for JNIMS so that oxygen needs of patients could be supplied without any break.

Apart from this, the government has started the process for opening 50 additional ICU beds at JNIMS so that problems faced by patients in getting ICU bed could be solved and this will enable recovered patients needing oxygen avail necessary service, professor Bhimo added.

On the report that one staff of JNIMS tried to sell off an oxygen cylinder, the JNIMS director said a two-member inquiry committee has been formed to identity the staff and necessary action will be initiated once the staff is identified.

JNIMS medical superintendent Dr Kh Lokeshwar and other doctors of the hospital also attended the press conference.

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