Srinagar, May 11: 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 said that the capacity of the oxygen plant is 1000 litres per minute. Ismail said, "The hospital has also stocked bulk and medium-sized cylinders and oxygen concentrators for the patients with medium and severe infection." He further added that "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."

 

 

 

 

According to the local residents, 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 in Shopian is very useful as now the need to take the patient suffering from COVID to Pulwama or Srinagar has minimized.

 

People are suffering due to an acute shortage of oxygen across the nation, and starting an oxygen plant was necessary for the localites of the valley as well. Now the patients need not to be referred to the tertiary care hospital in Srinagar, which will save time for the patients. According to official data, there are 49,248 active cases of COVID-19 in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.