J-K: Army donates 50 Oxygen Concentrators to health officials of Rafiabad
Oct 06, 2021
Baramulla (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], October 6 : Amid COVID-19, the Indian Army has donated 50 Oxygen Concentrators to the health officials of Rafiabad in Baramulla.
In coordination with the Centre for Health Research and Innovation (CHRI), a non-profit organization with support from the National Stock Exchange Fund (NSEF), the Army donated the Oxygen Concentrators.
These Oxygen Concentrators have been kept at Ruhama, Dangiwacha and Watergam health centres for emergency use for patients.
"These Oxygen Concentrators will have the capacity to deliver oxygen to patients at a maximum speed of 10 litres per minute. Oxygen Concentrators are novel instruments that filter out room air and deliver pure oxygen gas to a patient," said Dr Syeda Jan, Doctor in PHC. 
"These are very useful for moderately severe respiratory illnesses with O2 as low as 80%. They are easy to use and played a pivotal role during the COVID-19 pandemic. The roads in the winters get blocked here hence it becomes very difficult to send the patients to larger towns for treatment. We are highly grateful to 32 RR for providing us with concentrators," added Dr Syeda Jan, Doctor in PHC.
"There was a deficiency of oxygen cylinders here. We can send these concentrators to the far-flung areas. Since it is being anticipated that there will be one more wave of COVID-19," said Dr Irfan Ahmad, Block Medical Officer Dangiwacha Baramulla.
"These Oxygen Concentrators will have the capacity to deliver oxygen to patients at a maximum speed of 10 litres per minute. Hence the load of the hospitals would also decrease. This is a very good initiative it would help us a lot," he added. 
"32 RR is deployed in Rafiabad for the last three decades and we have realized that the population of Rafiabad is facing a lot of problems in terms of the availability of basic health infrastructure. In the same vein, we coordinated with the CHRI and made available around 50 oxygen concentrators worth half a crore," said Colonel BS Khandare, Commanding officer 32 RR.
"32 RR has donated concentrators to us. We are highly grateful for the concentrator. It was very much needed since it's a far-flung area. It gets very difficult to reach Baramulla. But now they have got this facility," said Javaid Amin, a local resident.
The local population of Rafiabad has expressed their gratitude for this noble cause.
Local residents lauded this step taken by the Army as during winters amid the pandemic they were facing many problems due to a shortage of oxygen concentrators.
