The destructive second wave of the coronavirus has made the world realize the importance of medical oxygen- the life-saving resource. This pandemic has made all healthcare systems rethink the long-term solutions to deal with the high oxygen demand. One measure that all healthcare facilities can take to prevent similar tragedies taking place again is equipping hospitals with technologies and related infrastructure that allows the generation of medical oxygen on-site itself.
In the list of options available for the generation of on-site medical oxygen, Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technology has proven to be one of the most practicable and best options available for all healthcare facilities and hospitals. This solution could also serve as a significant supplement to liquid oxygen, gas cylinders, concentrators, and any other option available.
On-site Medical Oxygen Generators are no more a choice but an obligation.
For decades, our hospitals and healthcare facilities have relied on oxygen supplies outside their confines, which has always been a risky proposition. Authorities should consider the on-site generation of medical oxygen as an alternative for several reasons. The most important reason is the country’s somewhat inadequate transportation and logistics systems. The other reasons include the ongoing need for dedicated and specialized tankers, the need for constant refilling, the risk of liquid oxygen evaporating, and, even worse, the danger of a large volume of oxygen escaping into the air and causing a conflagration and other consequential damages.
India has only 1224 tankers to carry 16,732 MT of medical oxygen. And these tankers have a turnaround time of nearly 6 to 7 days, with estimates that only 200 tankers are in transit at one time.
There has never been a greater demand for medical oxygen in the country than there has been in recent years due to Covid. According to reports, demand for medical oxygen has increased sevenfold since the days before Covid. A few months ago, the country experienced a high demand for nearly 9,000 tonnes per day for medical oxygen. Several industries producing or requiring oxygen for their production processes had to divert their resources to Covid-driven medical emergencies. Moreover, despite the accelerated vaccine campaigns, there is no full-proof guarantee as to what lies ahead in terms of the dreadful virus and its public health implications, even if demand appears to be easing in recent days.
Difference between Availability and Timely Disbursal to the needy
At the same time, it must be recognized that there is a clear distinction between the availability of a life-saving resource and its timely delivery to needy patients. In April 2021 third week, the government submitted to the Supreme Court that India had 3 times more liquid oxygen
available than the aggregate demand from 12 states with a high Covid caseload. Nonetheless, several states reported medical oxygen shortages in the days and weeks that followed. Surely, the issue is not so much a lack of availability as it is a failure to provide timely supplies to needy patients. As a result, making the life-saving resource available at the hospital is one effective way to address this problem. It would also eliminate the need for long-distance transportation and other logistical requirements.
How does PSA technology work?
The PSA technology involves passing air from the atmosphere through a high-pressure internal filtration system that employs microporous molecular sieves or zeolites as adsorbers. The molecular sieve’s large surface area allows for the separation or adsorption of nitrogen from the air, leaving concentrated oxygen behind. This way, medical-grade oxygen can be generated and continuously delivered to patients via the hospital’s existing gas pipeline.
What can MVS do to fight medical oxygen shortage?
This oxygen can be easily piped throughout the hospital or nearby facilities, and it can even be transported in cylinders to smaller hospitals in the area. We could begin by having one oxygen generator plant in each district hospital in the country, which would serve as a hub for further distribution to other healthcare facilities. Alternatively, if resource constraints do not allow, as indicated by Centre-state wrangling, we could begin with a single on-site plant serving two adjacent districts. The goal is to get started as soon as possible.
What are the advantages of PSA technology?
A PSA on-site generator plant requires less capital than a cryogenic technology plant. Even if the initial capital for the setup appears apparently larger, it can be recovered through savings on monthly oxygen bills that the hospitals must pay in a matter of months. Furthermore, PSA plants are easier to assemble, but they can also be up and running in a matter of weeks.
They are also environmentally friendly because they eliminate long-distance transportation and thus eliminate toxic emissions. According to WHO technical specifications, all medical PSA oxygen generator plants are oxygen sources capable of producing medical grade oxygen on a large scale 24 hours a day, seven days a week, implying the inherent reliability of this technology. To be sure, PSA oxygen generator plants necessitate trained personnel and ongoing maintenance.
However, these are preconditions for any technology. Another significant advantage of PSA technology is its ability to produce medical-grade oxygen within minutes of being turned on.
A very high degree of purity is not required
For oxygen to be used for medical purposes, there is no requirement to achieve exceptionally high purity of 99% concentration of oxygen. The United States Pharmacopeia (USP), European Pharmacopeia (Ph. Eur.), and Indian Pharmacopeia all allow 93 % purity of medical oxygen (3%). Although liquid oxygen is purer, given our country’s supply and delivery bottlenecks, it is preferable to have some oxygen on hand at all times in our hospitals than having the highest quality oxygen, but only for a limited time and in an unreliable manner.
Also Read
To summarise, the need for our hospitals to install on-site oxygen generator plants to supplement liquid oxygen cannot be overstated. The government’s announcement that 551 PSA plants will be built in addition to the 162 already announced at public health facilities in the country must be embraced. The government must take quick action on the words.
In fact, the government should go further and make on-site medical oxygen generators mandatory for large hospitals keeping in mind that Covid-19 still exists.
