DIPR Manipur director (IPR) H Balkrisna Singh on Wednesday appealed to all concerned to donate oxygen cylinders/ concentrators through the state government or other hospital concerned, and to avoid donating it privately to Covid patients.
In a video release by DIPR, Balkrisna said, "If any individual has donated oxygen cylinders/ concentrators directly to COVID patients without the knowledge and approval of the state government and experts, the state government will not be held responsible for any untoward incidents".
Balkrisna said the state government will not be responsible for any untoward incident faced by individuals while refilling oxygen cylinders or concentrators if it is done without the knowledge of the state government.
Any individual who wishes to procure oxygen cylinders or concentrators must take them only from dealers authorised by the state government, he added.
The IPR director further said that the state government is trying its best to make sure that there is enough supply of oxygen cylinders and concentrators for Covid patients in private and government hospitals.
Therefore, oxygen cylinders numbering about 1,500 to 2,000 are procured from Dimapur, Silchar, Nagaon and local oxygen plants in the state every day, the IPR director said.
Apart from the oxygen plant at RIMS, JNIMS and Shija hospital, an oxygen plant has also been established in Thoubal and Churachandpur district, he added.
In consultation with biomedical experts, efforts have also been made to revive the defunct oxygen plants to produce oxygen and to increase the supply, he said, adding that efforts have also been made to increase the number of oxygen concentrators from the present figure i.e. 700, said Balkrisna.
Balkrisna also informed that doctors and nurses are also recruited under contract basis, and it has helped in reducing the gap of manpower in the health sector.
