Morena (Madhya Pradesh): The oxygen plants installed at the community health centres (CHCs) in Kailaras and Joura during the Covid-19 pandemic are lying closed As a sum of Rs 2.50 lakh could not be arranged for restarting the plants, the patients have been deprived of oxygen cylinders. Block medical officer Dr SR Mishra informed the office of the district health department about it.

Likewise, the CHC in Joura has been shifted to the district civil hospital, but the oxygen plant is lying closed. The oxygen plant at the CHC in Kailaras is shut down for three months. Although the district health department was informed about it, the officials did not act. The plants for which lakhs of rupees were spent are likely to turn into scraps.  From Kailaras plant oxygen was supplied to 30 beds through a pipeline. The Joura civil hospital was shifted to the new building near Tehsil office.  Everything in the old building was shifted to the new office, but as it does not have a system for operating an oxygen plant, it is lying closed on the premises of the old building.

Collector Ankit Asthana said money for revamping the oxygen plant was sought from the government as the Kailaras CHC does not have enough money to restart it. Likewise, shifting of the oxygen plant from Joura civil hospital will require a lot of money, so, on the basis of the proposal from the technical agency, money for repairing the plant will be demanded from the government, he said.

Once the amount is received, the plants will function, Asthana said. Block medical officer of Kailaras Dr SR Mishra said several letters had been sent to the administration to restart the oxygen plant. An engineer was called, and an estimate to restart the plant was also prepared, he said, adding that a sum of Rs 2.50 lakh will be required for the work. Because of shortage of budget, the plant could not be restarted, Dr Mishra said, adding that it will soon be restarted.