NARASINGHPUR, (Report- Rupashree Swetapadma Mohanty): An oxygen generation plant installed at the Narasinghpur government medical facility has remained completely non-operational for over five and a half years. The unused machinery, worth an estimated Rs 36 lakh, currently lies outside the building without protective shelter. This prolonged operational delay continues to disrupt essential emergency healthcare services for patients across the region. 
Health authorities set up the plant in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic to solve local medical oxygen shortages. Technical teams completed the primary setup and laid direct oxygen supply pipelines to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the labor room, and the dialysis center. In addition, the health department purchased a new 160 kW electrical generator worth Rs 12 lakh to support the plant and provide backup electricity to the entire hospital.
Despite the completion of these initial works, administrators have not started operations. Patients who require emergency oxygen must manage without an active on-site supply system. Narasinghpur reports a high prevalence of chronic kidney disease, which makes local dialysis patients the most vulnerable group facing this shortage. Furthermore, staff members do not run the idle generator during power outages, which frequently leaves the medical center in total darkness during electricity cuts.
Security issues have created additional setbacks for the facility. Unidentified individuals stole expensive machinery components worth several lakh rupees three separate times within a single year before technicians could commission the plant. Hospital workers submitted multiple official complaints regarding the incidents, but authorities have not implemented permanent security measures to protect the equipment.
Activating this plant will end the hospital's reliance on external oxygen cylinders. It will also guarantee regular, cost-free oxygen support to kidney patients, emergency cases, and maternity wards. Local residents and community leaders now demand that higher administrative authorities intervene, repair the damaged units, and make the facility fully functional without further delay.
Health authorities set up the plant in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic to solve local medical oxygen shortages. Technical teams completed the primary setup and laid direct oxygen supply pipelines to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the labor room, and the dialysis center. In addition, the health department purchased a new 160 kW electrical generator worth Rs 12 lakh to support the plant and provide backup electricity to the entire hospital.
Despite the completion of these initial works, administrators have not started operations. Patients who require emergency oxygen must manage without an active on-site supply system. Narasinghpur reports a high prevalence of chronic kidney disease, which makes local dialysis patients the most vulnerable group facing this shortage. Furthermore, staff members do not run the idle generator during power outages, which frequently leaves the medical center in total darkness during electricity cuts.
Security issues have created additional setbacks for the facility. Unidentified individuals stole expensive machinery components worth several lakh rupees three separate times within a single year before technicians could commission the plant. Hospital workers submitted multiple official complaints regarding the incidents, but authorities have not implemented permanent security measures to protect the equipment.
Activating this plant will end the hospital's reliance on external oxygen cylinders. It will also guarantee regular, cost-free oxygen support to kidney patients, emergency cases, and maternity wards. Local residents and community leaders now demand that higher administrative authorities intervene, repair the damaged units, and make the facility fully functional without further delay.
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