Amid worsening medical oxygen crisis in the country, the prime minister's PM-CARES Fund has accorded sanction for procurement of 1,50,000 units of ‘Oxycare’ system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for Rs 322.5 crore.
Two days ago, an anti-Covid therapeutic application of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS)—DRDO's Delhi-based laboratories—in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Hyderabad, was given emergency use approval by the drug controller of india. DRDO was working on such a drug for soldiers deployed in high-altitude operations like Ladakh.
Oxycare is a SpO2-based oxygen supply system that regulates the oxygen being administered to patients based on the sensed SpO2 levels. Under this sanction, 1,00,000 manual and 50,000 automatic Oxycare systems, along with non-rebreather masks are being procured, according to a statement issued by the government.
Explaining about the Oxycare system, an official said that it delivers supplemental oxygen based on the SpO2 levels and prevents the person from sinking into a state of hypoxia which can be fatal. "This system was developed by the Bengaluru-based Defence Bioengineering & ElectroMedical Laboratory (DEBEL). It can be effectively used to treat COVID-19 patients," an official said, while adding that the two variants of the system have been configured.
The basic version consists of a 10-litre oxygen cylinder, a pressure regulator-cum-flow controller, a humidifier and a nasal cannula. The oxygen flow is regulated manually based on the SpO2 readings. In the second configuration, the oxygen cylinder is equipped with electronic controls that automatically regulates the oxygen flow through a low-pressure regulator and a SpO2 probe.
It is also stated that the SpO2-based Oxygen Supply System optimises the consumption of oxygen based on the SpO2 reading of the patient and effectively increases the endurance of portable oxygen cylinders. "The threshold SpO2 value for initiating flow from the system can be adjusted by the health staff. A display is provided for continuously monitoring the SpO2 levels. Work load and exposure of healthcare providers is considerably reduced by eliminating the need of routine measurements and manual adjustments of oxygen flow," DRDO said.
The automatic system also provides suitable audio warning for various failure scenarios, including low SpO2 values and probe disconnections. The non-rebreather masks are integrated with the Oxycare Systems for efficient use of oxygen that results in saving of Oxygen by 30-40 per cent. The non-rebreather masks need to be changed for every patient. These Oxycare systems can be used at homes, quarantine centres, COVID care centres and hospitals.
The DRDO has transferred the technology to multiple industries in India which will be producing the Oxycare systems.
Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy continue to work round-the-clock to provide oxygen and other medical supplies to the civil administration to tackle the current Covid-19 situation in the country. Till date, the aircraft of the IAF airlifted 403 oxygen containers of 6,856 metric tonnes (MT)capacity along with other equipment of 163 MTcapacity, in 634 sorties from different parts of the country.
The IAF aircraft have also conducted 98 sorties from different countries, airlifting 95 containers of 793 MT capacity and other equipment of 204 MT capacity. The equipment has been procured from Singapore, Dubai, Thailand, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Indonesia, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Israel and France.
As part of operation ‘Samudra Setu II’, seven Indian Naval Ships have returned home with 260 MT of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) from 13 containers for direct supply to various states, eight oxygen containers of total capacity 160 MT, approximately 2,600 oxygen filled cylinders and 3,150 empty cylinders for oxygen from Persian Gulf and Southeast Asia. While INS Jalashwa is presently in Brunei, INS Shardul is scheduled to enter Kuwait today.
In addition, 294 military nursing service officers are being mobilised for the newly-raised COVID-19 hospitals by DRDO at Delhi, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Varanasi and Patna.
