All PHCs in Vellore Health Unit District to get oxygen concentrators
Improving healthcare: K.S.T. Suresh, DDHS, Vellore, explaining the working of the oxygen concentrator to PHC medical officers and nurses at the Collectorate in Vellore on Saturday.
VELLORE: All 38 primary health centres (PHCs) in Vellore Health Unit District (HUD) will be supplied five-litre oxygen concentrators, which are capable of extracting oxygen from the atmosphere and improving the quality of oxygen that is inhaled by patients through the machine.
K.S.T. Suresh, Deputy Director of Health Services (DDHS), Vellore, demonstrated the use of the equipment to medical officers and nurses of PHCs at the office of the DDHS here on Saturday. He said the oxygen concentrator has a dual advantage in that, unlike conventional oxygenators where oxygen has to be refilled every time the gas is exhausted, this equipment extracts the oxygen in the atmosphere, and could also be used as a nebulizer by mixing the nebulizing solution. The equipment filters oxygen in the atmosphere and improves the quality of the oxygen that is inhaled by the patient through the concentrator, he said.
Dr. Suresh urged the medical officers of PHCs to bring the new oxygen concentrators to regular use, and use the conventional oxygenator as a stand-by. The government, he said, was distributing oxygen concentrators for the first time to PHCs. The government has procured the equipment at a subsidised cost of Rs.23,000 (for a five-litre oxygen concentrator) through the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation against the market rate of Rs.33,000 for supply to the PHCs, he said.
Dr. Suresh that oxygen concentrators meant for all 38 PHCs in the Vellore HUD were stocked in the office of the DDHS, and medical officers had been asked to take them to their PHCs from Saturday.
From 08.05.2011 Hindu
