The Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) on Tuesday received a mammoth liquid oxygen tank with a capacity of 40,000 litres (40kl) from Oil India Limited (OIL).
The liquid oxygen tank was installed in front of the super-specialty building of the AMCH.
With this, the reservoir capacity of liquid oxygen at Northeast’s first medical college and hospital has increased to 80,000 litres (80kl).
Earlier two liquid oxygen tanks having a capacity of 20,000 liters (20kl) each were installed at the AMCH.
AMCH principal cum chief superintendent Dr. Sanjeeb Kakati said that another liquid oxygen tank of 20,000 litre capacity will be installed shortly at the medical college which will enhance the total liquid oxygen reservoir to 1 lakh liters.
“There will be no crisis of oxygen at the Assam Medical College and Hospital now. After enhancing the liquid oxygen reservoir to 1 lakh litres (100kl) we will be able to ensure uninterrupted oxygen supply to all ICU or non-ICU oxygenated beds through pipelines. If we provide an uninterrupted supply of oxygen to 500 oxygenated beds it will require 6,000 litres of oxygen per day,” Dr. Kakati said.
“A full reservoir of 1 lakh litre of liquid oxygen will ensure uninterrupted oxygen supply for 15 days. It will strengthen and streamline our uninterrupted oxygen supply in daily needs and to combat any near challenges,” he said.
He further added that two more oxygen generation plants are being installed at the AMCH which will take the total number of oxygen generation plants at the medical college to four.
In April this year, the then health minister and present chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had commissioned two oxygen generation plants at the AMCH with a combined daily production capacity of 1.8 MT each or 208 jumbo cylinders.
“We are installing two more oxygen generation plants at the AMCH. One will be installed near the super-specialty building and one near the pediatrics department. Once they get running we will become self-sufficient in the oxygen delivery system.
“Since liquid oxygen is supplied through pipelines there may be technical snags sometimes. Therefore at the same time, we are enhancing our stock of oxygen cylinders. An oxygen cylinder filling plant is being constructed at the AMCH which will be commissioned soon. It will have the capacity to fill up 30 oxygen cylinders daily,” said the AMCH chief.