Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday virtually inaugurated seven more pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen generation plants to perk up health infrastructure amid a continuous surge in Covid-19 cases.

The state now has 102 functional PSA oxygen generation plants.

“This is part of the efforts of the government to strengthen the health system in the state amid the threat of the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic. We would continue to add to our health infrastructure from block to district level so that people can get better medical treatment in hospitals near their homes without having to travel to cities. It is necessary that the facilities are also used for patients who don’t have Covid,” Hemant said.

The seven PSA plants have been donated by Indian unit of PATH (formerly Program for Appropriate Technology in Health).

While two units came up at Sadar Hospital in Ranchi, one unit each came up at Mercy Hospital in Baridih, Jamshedpur, Trauma Centre in Ramgarh, Sadar Hospital in Deoghar, community health centre at Chakulia (in East Singhbhum district) and community health centre in Kuchai (in Seraikela-Kharsawan).

Hemant said: “About two years ago when the global pandemic knocked on Jharkhand, the biggest challenge posed before the government was testing the samples as we did not have enough RTPCR testing facilities.

“However, we can see PSA oxygen generating plants in all the 24 districts of the state. RTPCR testing facilities have been strengthened in almost all big cities of the state and even a state-of-the-art Cobas machine has been set up in RIMS, Ranchi.”

The chief minister said two years ago the state began with only 2,500 oxygen-supported beds, but now had 25,000 such beds.

“Now there is adequate availability of oxygen-supported beds, ICUs and ventilators in the state. The government is committed to ensuring that no patient faces any kind of problem due to paucity of medical resources. We managed to control the two waves of Covid relatively better with the constraints of our resources and are better prepared for the third wave,” Hemant said.

The chief minister also emphasised on the importance of mass compliance with Covid-19 guidelines to contain the spread of the virus.

On Tuesday, the state added 4,719 more Covid-19 cases, taking the total active caseload to 29,042. The day also saw four deaths. The state has a significantly high growth rate of 0.97 per cent against the national average of 0.31 per cent, a doubling rate of merely 71.85 days against the national average of 226.36 days.