43 of 75 COVID Oxygen Plants in West Bengal Non-Functional, CAG Flags Gaps

More than half of the PSA oxygen generation plants installed in West Bengal under the PM CARES Fund and CSR initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic were either uncommissioned or non-functional as of December 2023, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has reported.

According to the CAG's report on public health infrastructure and management of health services in West Bengal, only 32 of the 75 oxygen plants supplied to the state were functional. The remaining 43 were either yet to be commissioned or had become non-operational.

The audit found that of the 46 plants funded through PM CARES, only 23 were operational, while just nine of the 29 plants funded through CSR initiatives were functional.

The report also highlighted significant gaps in the utilisation of COVID-related funds. Of the total amount released under the Emergency COVID Response Package-II (ECRP-II), ₹659.28 crore, or 65 per cent, remained unspent as of March 2022. A further ₹462.05 crore released as State COVID untied funds also remained unutilised.

The audit identified similar issues with medical equipment. At SSKM Medical College and Hospital, five PM CARES-funded ventilators were found lying in stock due to a lack of consumables, while three others remained packed in the hospital store. Authorities said the consumables supplied with the machines had been exhausted after prolonged use during the pandemic.

At Raiganj Medical College and Hospital, 17 ICU ventilators remained non-functional because the High Dependency Unit was not operational. Five oxygen concentrators supplied under PM CARES were also found lying in storage.

The CAG noted that, despite assurances regarding efforts to operationalise the remaining oxygen plants, there was no assurance indicating when they would become functional.