HMEL refinery to provide oxygen for COVID hospitals in Bathinda, says Harsimrat Badal

Former union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday announced that the HMEL refinery would provide Oxygen supply to a new 100 bed Covid facility being developed by AIIMS as well as hospitals in Bathinda.

In a statement, SAD said that Harsimrat Badal held a virtual conference with AIIMS (Bathinda) Director Dr DK Singh on Tuesday during the course of which the need to augment oxygen facilities, increase COVID-19 beds and hire doctors and nurses was raised.

"I took up the matter with the HMEL management which has assured to provide Oxygen to AIIMS as well as other hospitals in the region. My effort is to augment both the oxygen and bed facilities to such an extent that AIIMS and the HMEL refinery can jointly create a facility for handling 500 Covid patients in the next two to three weeks," Badal said.

She also informed that SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal had requested the Shiromani Committee to convert the 'serai' attached with Takth Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo into a hundred bed Covid care centre.

Badal also requested Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to assist AIIMs, Bathinda by helping it to acquire another 2,000 to 3,000 Oxygen cylinders.

"Right now, we are facing a health emergency. The Congress government should take necessary measures to ensure Covid patients have access to quality healthcare. This could even include taking up beds from private hospitals on fixed charges basis".

She also urged the Chief Minister not to delay the recruitment of medical staff to run hundreds of ventilators that were lying unused. "A special speedy recruitment drive should be completed in this regard in next few days and the ventilators should be installed and made functional as soon as possible. Each second wasted is increasing the death count in the State which is already double than the national average".

The Bathinda MP also urged people to go in for vaccination in a big way as soon as possible and not be misled by any propaganda in this regard and requested the Central government to allocate vaccine doses to Punjab quickly.

( With inputs from ANI )