Gzb: No oxygen shortage, 9 new plants to come up
The oxygen demand and supply situation in Ghaziabad has improved considerably.
According to the figures of the district health department, the demand for oxygen is about 40,933 cubic metres against the availability of 46,200 cubic metres.
“Nine new oxygen plants will also come up soon to improve availability further. We are now focussing more on getting more people vaccinated and we have given approvals to three private hospitals to take up the drive,” said Dr NK Gupta, chief medical officer.
Max starts vaccination for 18-45 age group
Meanwhile, Max Hospital, Vaishali, opened its paid vaccination centre at Cambridge School at Indirapuram on Wednesday and vaccinated 1,000 beneficiaries in age groups 18-45 and 45+ against a target of 4,000.
“We will now scale up vaccinations. A number of residents’ welfare associations (RWAS) are also approaching us to hold vaccinations. Inside the school, we set up 10 counters and they can be allotted to each RWA,” said an official spokesperson from the hospital.
On Wednesday, the Ghaziabad district conducted vaccination of 11120 at government centres but the issue of ineligible beneficiaries booking slots and turning up at the two centres, meant for vaccination of parents, continued on Tuesday as well.
According to official records, the two centres at DPSG, Meerut Road and Kailash Mansarowar Bhawan have a target of vaccinating 100 parents who have children below age of 12 years.
“Yet again ineligible beneficiaries booked slots under the parents’ category and many also arrived without booking a slot. We turned them away. They are taking away slots of those who are eligible,” said an officer at the ‘Abhibhavak special’ centre at DPSG, Meerut Road.
CMO Dr Gupta said that he will speak to senior officials about the issue.
“We will also ask them to restrict ineligible people at the time of booking itself. Otherwise, the vaccination coverage at such centres will remain low,” he said.
Non-government organisation Khalsa Help International (KIH) has committed to providing free oxygen to rural areas of Ghaziabad.
The organisation, which ran the free “oxygen langar” at a Gurdwara in Indirapuram when the Covid-19 second wave was at its peak and faced an acute oxygen crisis, will send cylinders in vehicles.
“We also have 15 vehicles that can ferry people to hospitals and the dead to cremation grounds, and supply ration,” said Gurpreet Singh, founder member of KHI. The group launched two helplines -9097041313 and 9097361313 -for their service.