UNDP India, has set up an oxygen generation plant at GB Pant Hospital Delhi

New Delhi, The government of Delhi, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India, has set up an oxygen generation plant at GB Pant Hospital (Gobind Ballabh Pant Institute of PostGraduate Medical Education and Research), to augment the facility’s oxygen supply capabilities.

The hospital is a leading super-specialty tertiary care center and manages referrals from across the country. Ms. Kanni Wingraja, United Nations (UN) Assistant Secretary-General and Director, Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), launched the oxygen plant in the presence of Ms. Shoko Noda, Resident Representative, UNDP India, Dr. Anil Agarwal, Medical Director GB Pant Hospital, and other senior officials from the hospital and the government.

The oxygen plant utilises pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology to produce up to 1,050 liters of oxygen per minute. It will serve approximately 750 hospital beds, including those supported by ventilators and the intensive care unit. The second wave of COVID-19 necessitated a need to ensure uninterrupted oxygen supply for critical care. In partnership with the state governments, UNDP has set up twelve oxygen generation plants across India, including Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, NCT of Delhi, and Tripura.
Before the launch, Ms. Wignaraja also visited the COVID-19 vaccination center at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital. She interacted with the staff and witnessed the working of Co-WIN, that supports one of the largest vaccination programmes in India. She also saw a demonstration of the smartphone-based Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) application developed and implemented across the country by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) with UNDP’s support. The eVIN platform manages vaccine supplies and storage temperatures and is being successfully utilised to track COVID-19 vaccine logistics.

UNDP also helped set up a dedicated technical helpline to support the Co-WIN platform and answer technical queries by health workers and beneficiaries. The helpline has responded to over 7,34,000 queries and public grievances related to Co-WIN and COVID-19 vaccination since its launch in January 2021. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNDP worked closely with the government to generate awareness on Covid appropriate behaviour and provided psychosocial support.