Himachal Pradesh : Chief Minister inaugurates makeshift COVID-19 hospital in Una district
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today inaugurated makeshift COVID-19 hospital constructed at a cost of Rs 1.05 crore at Pandoga in Haroli assembly constituency of Una district through virtual medium from Shimla.
Speaking on the occasion, Jai Ram Thakur said that this 140 bed capacity makeshift COVID-19 hospital would go a long way in providing better treatment to Corona patients near their homes. He said that the construction of this hospital has been completed in a record time of one month. This hospital will supply oxygen to the Covid patients uninterruptedly.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government has paid special attention to strengthen the health services infrastructure in the State. He said that the state government has increased the oxygen storage capacity by more than 26 metric tonnes and 8 PSA oxygen plants have been made functional. He said that apart from this 12 new PSA oxygen plants are being set up in different parts of the state. He said that under CSR, three oxygen plants are also being set up at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College, Nerchak Mandi, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru Government Medical College, Chamba and Dr. Jai Ram Thakur said that another PSA Oxygen Plant of 500 LPM capacity is being set up by Nestle India Limited at Civil Hospital Palkawaha. He said that earlier the state’s only oxygen plant was at IGMC Shimla, whereas today the state is almost self-sufficient in medical oxygen supply. He thanked the Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur for providing two PSA plants with 140 PSA capacity at Ghumarwin and Hamirpur in Bilaspur district.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government was making efforts to set up oxygen plants in all the major hospitals of the State. He said that the State Government is also ensuring that the vaccination campaign is run smoothly in the State. He said that Himachal Pradesh is one of the few states in the country in which vaccine wastage is zero. He said that so far 24.23 lakh vaccine doses have been provided to the people in the state.
Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Anurag Singh Thakur, while addressing through virtual medium, thanked the Chief Minister for the construction of a makeshift hospital in his parliamentary constituency, which would provide better treatment facilities to the COVID-19 patients of the area. He said that under the able leadership of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, the State has achieved success in augmenting the health infrastructure. He said that the bed capacity in the hospitals has been increased from about 1200 to more than 5000. He said that the upcoming PSA plants should be completed at the earliest by working expeditiously. He said that it is unfortunate that vaccine doses are being wasted in Congress-ruled Punjab and Rajasthan.
Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Virendra Kanwar while addressing through virtual medium said that due to the efforts of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, the state has been able to successfully deal with the first wave of COVID-19 and is also fighting the second wave effectively. . He said that Himachal Pradesh is probably the only state in India where adequate beds and oxygen are available for COVID patients.
State Industrial Development Corporation Vice-Chairman Prof. Ram Kumar welcomed the Chief Minister and thanked him for dedicating the makeshift hospital to the people of the area.
Deputy Commissioner Una Raghav Sharma presented vote of thanks. He said that now the capacity of the total oxygenated beds in the district has exceeded 261.
MLA Chintpurni Balbir Chaudhary and Health Secretary Amitabh Awasthi were present with the Chief Minister in Shimla, while Superintendent of Police Archit Sen was present in Una along with other officials.
