Oxygen concentrator bank & ECMO machines to be installed in all medical colleges of Assam: CM

July 6: A notable addition towards the development of infrastructure of Guwahati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) by the Health and Family Welfare Department of Assam Government took place on Tuesday. Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sharma inaugurated the newly built 200 bed ICU at GMCH. Minister of Health and Family Welfare Department Keshab Mahanta was present as a special guest during this inauguration ceremony. MP Queen Oza and MLA Taranga Gogoi were also present during the inaugural ceremony.

Expressing his views, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “In what shall mark a leapfrog in our healthcare capabilities, I’m happy to have inaugurated a 200-bed ICU at Guwahati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH). Very happy to hand over appointment letters to 896 staff nurses under National Health Mission (NHM) in Guwahati today. My best wishes for their career ahead. The facility, completed in record time, will further boost our fight against COVID-19 and help us save many precious lives.” Built at Rs 20 crore, it supports 4 dialysis beds, 80 thousand litre liquid medical oxygen tank, fire detection & prevention system.

Live from inauguration program of 200 bedded Covid ICU at GMCH, Guwahati https://t.co/l6xA3HVtD2

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 6, 2021

During the occasion, the Chief Minister informed that he has directed the National Health Mission, Assam (NHM) to tie up with NGO & set up Oxygen concentrator bank in each dist to meet oxygen requirement of patients suffering from post-Covid-19 complications. He also asked health department to install Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machines in all eight medical colleges & hospitals of Assam. The ECMO machine is similar to the heart-lung by-pass machine used in open-heart surgery. It pumps and oxygenates a patient’s blood outside the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest.