TN releases funds worth ₹76.5 crore to set up oxygen tanks at healthcare centres

The Tamil Nadu government on Friday (July 24) announced the release of ₹76.5 crore additional funds towards strengthening infrastructure in supply of oxygen to treat COVID-19 infected patients at government run healthcare facilities.

Health and family welfare minister C Vijayabaskar in a statement said Chief Minister K Palaniswami has issued orders towards release of the funds in addition to the ₹75.28 crore which was already released to set up oxygen pipelines to serve the patients.

The additional funds would be utilised to strengthen the oxygen supply in hospitals located at Taluk levels (in the state), setting up of high vacuum exhaust system and for establishing oxygen tanks at the hospitals, the release said.

With the high vacuum exhaust system the atmosphere in the hospitals can be cleaned benefiting the patients in the hospitals, the release said, adding oxygen was normally stored in gas form in cylinders and served to patients.

“But with the establishment of the oxygen tanks, oxygen in liquid form stored for a distance of one kilometre gets converted into gas for upto 835 cubic metre thereby avoiding any disruption in supply of oxygen to the patients…” the release said.

The initiative would further strengthen the government’s efforts in checking spread of COVID-19 virus and also in enhancing its services to patients.