BHUBANESWAR: Going on overdrive to prepare health infrastructure and services to deal with COVID-19 situation, the State Government is all set to procure 424 ventilators, 10,000 oxygen concentrators and 7,700 nebulisers along with protective gear for all frontline health workers. The Odisha State Medical Corporation Ltd (OSMCL) has placed orders for procurement of 15.7 lakh personal protection equipment (PPE), 2.2 crore triple-layer masks, 7.5 lakh N95 masks and 1.7 crore nose clip adaptable masks besides other gear for healthcare workers.
While the Corporation has received 15 ventilators, 20,000 triple-layer masks, 4,000 test kits and virus transportation mediums that were airlifted from Mumbai on Thursday, the other consignments are expected to arrive in phases over next two months. The State has 299 ICU ventilators and 1,004 oxygen concentrators at various Government hospitals. It has a stock of 69,886 N95 masks, 36,386 PPEs including gowns, hoods, triple-layered face masks and shoe covers and 3,16,069 bottles of hand sanitiser.
OSMCL Managing Director Yamini Sarangi said, “Already 27,000 N95 masks, 11 lakh triple-layer masks, 5,500 PPEs have been utilised in the last two months. The current stock of all essential drugs and surgicals is sufficient to meet the consumption requirement for five months. Additional stock for four more months is expected to be supplied by end of next month,” she said. Meanwhile, State Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das has urged Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to waive custom duty and GST from all medical tools like mask, sanitiser, ventilators, testing kits and PPEs.
During a video conference on Friday, he demanded adequate quantities of PPE kits, hydroxychloroquine and Vitamin C tablets, masks, face shields besides other life-saving drugs to be supplied to the State. He requested to set up a COVID hospital at Balasore satellite centre of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar at the earliest.
The State is also set to get a massive boost to its testing capacities with operationalisation of several new centres over the next week. COVID-19 tests would start at MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur from April 12, VIMSAR in Burla from April 15 and IGH in Rourkela from April 17, chief spokesperson on COVID-19 Subroto Bagchi said.