India News | Media Reports Alleging 'bad Maintenance' of PSA Plants in Chhattisgarh Misleading: Health Ministry

New Delhi, Jan 10 (PTI) The health ministry on Monday dismissed as "fallacious and ill-informed" media reports that alleged that PSA plants installed in Chhattisgarh through PM CARES funds were badly maintained.

In a statement, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare clarified that 122 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants are being installed from various sources in Chhattisgarh, of which 49 plants were installed and commissioned under PM CARES.

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"There have been some media reports alleging that PSA plants installed in the state of Chhattisgarh through PM CARES funds are not being maintained well. Such media reports are fallacious and informed. They are not based on facts," it pointed out.

Explaining further, the ministry stated, "After 1,000 hours of running of a PSA plant, Zeolite, an absorbent material used in it to produce medical grade oxygen, needs to be replaced. As per industry norms, the shelf life of Zeolite is 3-5 years and has to be replaced only after this period. The funds for this have been sanctioned by the state government of Chhattisgarh."

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The health ministry has also been conducting regular weekly reviews, and states and union territories have been urged to complete the installation and commission PSA oxygen plants, it stated.

Further, it said the PSA oxygen plants from Defence Research and Development Organisation are under a standard one year warranty, while those manufactured by HLL Infra Tech Services Limited and Central Medical Services Society have 5 years and 10 years of warranty, respectively.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)