Oxygen plant made must for new medical colleges | Economic Times

All new medical college hospitals in India would be required to have their own oxygen generation plants within six months.The government has made it mandatory for all medical college hospitals being established from the current financial year to have dedicated pressure swing adsorption (PSA) or vacuum swing adsorption (VSA) technology plants within six months. The National Medical Commission, which regulates medical education in India, has notified amendments in Minimum Requirements for Annual MBBS Admission Regulations, 2020. The regulations, originally notified in October 2020, did not prescribe this condition for establishment of the emergency medicine department. The move follows an acute shortage of medical oxygen which the country faced at the peak of Covid-19 second wave in May.The medical education regulator has notified amendments which prescribe, “Central Oxygen and Suction points shall include provision of piped oxygen supply to all beds in the hospital having patients in critical condition or requiring oxygen from liquid oxygen tank installed at appropriate place in the hospital complex. In addition, all Medical College hospitals are also required to have a dedicated PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) or VSA (Vacuum Swing Adsorption) technology produced oxygen supply in addition to piped oxygen supply, which is to be installed and made operational within six months, notwithstanding the requirement of the Department of Emergency Medicine mandated from 2022 onwards.” The Centre has been emphasising on the need for all government and medical college hospitals to have their own captive oxygen supply. The second wave had exposed chinks in the supply chain as the oxygen demand had increased manifold. With the amendments in rules, medical colleges have to apply for renewal of permission or increase in intake capacity of medical students. A government source told ET, “This would cover all medical colleges that apply for renewal of permission to NMC. Even if they do not start the process now, they will need to establish these plants when they come for renewal of permission later.”