Dhanbad: The sole operational oxygen plant at the Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College and Hospital (SNMMCH) was restored to service late Sunday night after a team of technicians from Patna rectified a technical malfunction. The plant had been experiencing issues since Thursday, forcing the hospital to rely entirely on oxygen cylinders for approximately 250 admitted patients.
Background of Oxygen Plants at SNMMCH
During the Covid-19 pandemic, three pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants were installed on the hospital premises. However, two of these plants have remained non-functional for the past four years. The only working plant also began malfunctioning last Thursday, exacerbating the oxygen supply situation.
Allegations of Patient Deaths
Attendants of three patients alleged that their family members died due to insufficient oxygen supply over the preceding four days. These claims were strongly refuted by hospital authorities.
SNMMCH superintendent Dr. Dinesh Gindauria stated, "No patient died due to lack of oxygen. The fatalities occurred because of other medical complications." He emphasized that the hospital had managed oxygen distribution effectively despite the plant's breakdown.
Efforts to Restore All Plants
Dr. Gindauria further explained that tenders had previously been floated for repairing the two non-functional oxygen plants, but no agencies responded. "The process of re-tendering will be initiated again soon so that all three plants become operational," he added. The hospital administration is prioritizing the restoration of full oxygen generation capacity to avoid future disruptions.
The repair of the last working plant has brought temporary relief, but the hospital continues to face challenges with oxygen supply reliability. The re-tendering process is expected to attract bids from specialized firms capable of servicing the PSA plants.
