Modi gives green light to procure 1.5 lakh units of DRDO’s Oxycare system

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a green light for the procurement of 150,000 units of the Defence Research and Development Organisation developed “Oxycare" System at a cost of Rs 322.5 crore.

The system optimizes the consumption of oxygen based on the SpO2 or oxygen concentration reading of the patient and hence effectively increases the utility of the oxygen cylinders, a statement from the defence ministry said.

The system has two variants – ie manual, and automatic.

As many as 100,000 manuals and 50,000 automatic oxygen systems will be procured along with non-rebreather (NRB) masks. Non-rebreather masks are face masks connected to a reservoir bag that allows a patient to breathe in only pure oxygen.

A patient using an NRB will not inhale anything he or she exhales. A non-rebreather mask delivers 70% to 100% oxygen and increases the consumption from a single-cylinder by 30% to 40%, the statement said.

This will lessen the work of hospital staff as it eliminates the need for routine measurements and manual adjustments of oxygen flow, it said.

“The threshold SpO2 value for initiating flow from the system can be adjusted once and a display will then continuously keep monitoring the SpO2 levels of the patient," the statement said.

The technology to manufacture the “Oxycare" system has been transferred to multiple industries in India which will be producing them, it said.

Previously, on 28 April, Prime Minister Modi had sanctioned the procurement of 100,000 portable oxygen concentrators.

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Courtesy: Mint