CHITWAN: Bharatpur Hospital in Chitwan has started generating oxygen for its own use.

The hospital has set up an oxygen gas plant at a cost of Rs 14.6 million in its bid to become self-sufficient in regard to this life saving gas.

According to Medical Superintendent Dr Rudra Marasini at the hospital, the installation cost was equivalent to the amount that the hospital was spending in two years to purchase the gas.

Oxygen required for the medical use here has been supplied to respective wards through a pipeline system.

It may be noted that the government last year allocated budget required to install the plant in the hospital when Gagan Kumar Thapa was holding the office of health minister. But works were delayed due to disputes over the tender issues.

According to hospital biomedical engineer Leelambar Chaudhary, the hospital needs 24,000 litres of oxygen in 24 hours presently and the plant is capable of producing 720,000 litres of this gas in such period.