Mokokchung oxygen plant cleared for use but not operational yet

Our Correspondent
Mokokchung, May 31 (EMN): The installation work of pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen generation plant at Dr. Imkongliba Memorial District Hospital (IMDH) has been completed but it is not operational yet, informed Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr. Imkongliba on Monday.

“Only yesterday (May 30) the pipelines to 50 patients beds had been completed and we have also received clearance from Delhi last week that the oxygen generated from the plant is safe to use; it is yet to be operationalised,” said the Doctor.

Meanwhile, it is informed that the TrueNat testing centre for Covid-19 in IMDH is currently operating on a single TrueNat extractor after three extractors broken down last week.

Dr. Tsipongchem Sangtem, who supervises the sample testing at IMDH, informed that the machines could have broken down due to ‘working overload’ in view of increasing sample load.

He added that ‘normally we do 30 samples testing a day but now the current extractor is used only for symptomatic and serious patients while the remaining samples of asymptomatic and contract tracing are sent to BSL-2 and 3 Labs in Tuensang and Kohima’. He further said that because of the lockdown, repairing of the machines has been delayed as it depends on the courier service to reach its destination. However, he expressed hope that one of the repaired extractors would reach on Monday evening from Guwahati.

‘If the remaining extractors sent for repair reach the hospital by this week, then sample testing will resume as in the past,’ he said.