Bhagalpur Investigation Photo: Two Oxygen Plants at JLNMCH Installed Via PM Cares Fund and State Support Languishing in Ruin; Neglect of Plants Raises Major Questions on Health Infrastructure
Bhagalpur, Special Correspondent: A deeply alarming picture exposing the reality of the healthcare system has emerged from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital (Mayaganj Hospital / JLNMCH) in Bhagalpur, one of Bihar's largest medical institutions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when oxygen shortages that shook the entire country threatened patients' lives, two large oxygen generation plants were established at Bhagalpur's Mayaganj Hospital at the cost of millions of rupees to combat that very crisis. One of these plants was installed through the PM Cares Fund while the other was set up using resources from the State Government (Chief Minister's Relief Fund / Health Department). Ironically, due to a lack of maintenance and administrative apathy, both of these vital oxygen plants have remained completely shut down for nearly three years, reducing them to scrap.
What Is the Entire Matter and How Was the Desolation Exposed?
A special investigative report by the daily newspaper Hindustan has revealed that while the health department continues to claim preparedness for potential infections or emergency situations, critical health infrastructure is collapsing on the ground.
Both Plants Shut Down for Three Years: Mindful of future emergency needs following the devastation of the COVID era, two high-capacity oxygen generation plants were installed within the Mayaganj Hospital premises. One plant was built through the central government's 'PM Cares Fund', while the other was established with the support of the state government.
Absence of Upkeep and Maintenance: After functioning smoothly for the first few months, technical malfunctions and a lack of routine maintenance caused both plants to gradually shut down. The current reality is that oxygen supply directly from these plants to patient beds has completely ceased.
Millions Spent Monthly on Liquid Oxygen Procurement
Had the oxygen generation plants remained operational inside the hospital, the institution could have achieved self-reliance and produced sufficient oxygen locally. However, due to the closure of the plants, the hospital administration is incurring massive financial losses.
Heavy Additional Financial Burden: Currently, the health department dispatches several tankers of liquid oxygen to Bhagalpur every month. Under this alternative arrangement, millions of rupees from the state treasury are spent monthly on heavy oxygen procurement.
Wastage of Public Funds: Experts note that had a fraction of this amount been spent on the maintenance and repair of both plants in a timely manner, it would not only have saved millions of rupees spent every month, but the hospital would also have remained fully secure during emergencies.
Sluggish Arrangements for Fabricated Ward and Pipeline Connections
The medicine emergency department of Mayaganj Hospital operates within a 100-bed fabricated ward. In any infectious disease outbreak or critical emergency, suspected patients are mandated to be housed in this ward first.
Lives Dependent on Cylinders: Despite housing such an important fabricated ward, centralized oxygen pipeline connections have yet to be linked to it. Patients in this ward continue to rely on heavy jumbo cylinders for oxygen support today.
Official Letters Falling on Deaf Ears: Hospital management and department heads have corresponded multiple times to link the ward to the main pipeline, but months later, the work remains unfinished. Coordination gaps between private agencies and technical departments have stalled the work, keeping patients' lives under constant threat.
Superintendent's Helplessness and Budget Excuses
When hospital management and responsible officials were consulted regarding this matter, their responses laid bare administrative helplessness.
25 Lakhs Required for Maintenance: Hospital Superintendent Dr. H.P. Dubey conceded that complete maintenance and technical restoration of both oxygen plants—established via the PM Cares and state funds—would cost approximately 2.5 million rupees.
Silence on Letters Sent to Department: Official letters have been written to the health department multiple times requesting fund allocation, but no concrete response or funds have materialized from higher-ups thus far. The superintendent also expressed helplessness that despite issuing directives, concerned maintenance agencies refuse to heed instructions, leaving the hospital administration powerless.
The decrepit state and continued closure of two oxygen plants established via the PM Cares Fund and state resources at Bhagalpur's JLNMCH (Mayaganj Hospital) represent the height of administrative apathy. While the government claims to make healthcare services high-tech and accessible, multi-million-rupee machinery gathers dust on the ground. If these plants are not repaired in time and the pipeline system of the fabricated ward is not restored, this negligence could prove disastrous for patients in Bhagalpur during any emergency.
