Tejasvi Surya launches ‘MPOxyBank’ to deliver oxygen concentrators

Bengaluru: On Sunday, MP Tejasvi Surya launched ‘MP Oxy Bank’ which is an oxygen concentrator bank of 250 units for helping in the treatment of Covid-19 patients in the city. The MP’s office plans to set up over 650 such concentrators in the upcoming days.

Presently, 100 units are meant for Covid-19 patients and 150 for home oxygen support for those who have recovered.

Surya said, “We have seen that the condition of patients suffering from mild symptoms suddenly deteriorates when the patient is not provided oxygen in time. In this situation, where it takes a few hours for a patient to get a hospital bed, it is important that we begin the treatment for them at home. This golden hour treatment is done with the help of oxygen concentrators.”

To avail the services, a Covid patient can call up the Covid Raksha Helpline on 080 6191 4960. The volunteers on this helpline will note down the required details of the patient. The patient has to upload his/her Aadhaar card, photo, pulse oximeter reading and the doctor’s prescription to avail the concentrator.

“We are managing 250 oxygen concentrators now and will be expanding to 650-800 soon. It is most important to understand that an oxygen concentrator is not a substitute for hospitalisation. It is only to stabilise a patient with oxygen saturation levels of about 85-92 for a few hours until the patient receives a hospital bed. Similarly, a patient being discharged from a hospital may also need the support of an oxygen concentrator to complete his or her recovery”, Surya said.

Several NGOs, organisations and companies like Namma Bengaluru Foundation, ACT (Action Covid-19 Team), Kalyani Motors, Canada Sewa International, Vasavi Sewa Foundation (Bay Area, California), serial investor Harsha Agadi, PayTM Foundation, Lalamove, Ashirvad Pipes, Tarsadia Foundation, CAs for Bengaluru and others have provided the concentrators.