Each person with breathing problems will be given one of these devices
Surabaya (ANTARA) - The East Java government has provided 100 oxygen concentrators at the Lapangan Tembak Hospital to support the handling of COVID-19 patients in Surabaya.

Head of Public Relations of the Surabaya City Government Febriadhitya Prajatara stated in Surabaya on Thursday that the city government had provided oxygen concentrators to meet the oxygen requirements of patients at the Lapangan Tembak hospital.

Oxygen concentrator is a medical device with the ability to filter and concentrate oxygen molecules in ambient air to provide 90-95 percent pure oxygen for patients with breathing problems. Unlike oxygen cylinders, a concentrator does not require refilling and can provide oxygen 24 hours a day.

Prajatara noted that the machine worked as an alternative to an oxygen tank since the needs for oxygen had increased manifolds for COVID-19 patients.

"Currently, this hospital not only treats patients with mild symptoms but also those with oxygen saturation levels below 80 percent," Prajatara noted while highlighting the reason behind the procurement of oxygen concentrators.

Prajatara noted that the Lapangan Tembak Hospital had earlier made arrangements for patients with mild or no symptoms, but among the patients that used the facility, there were those whose oxygen saturation levels were below 80 percent.

An increase in the demand for oxygen necessitated the city government to provide more oxygen for COVID-19 patients, including through the provision of oxygen concentrators.

"Each person with breathing problems will be given one of these devices," Prajatara remarked.

He later expounded that the use of oxygen concentrators had led to electricity consumption increasing at the hospital.

"It turned out that the electricity capacity for this device is quite large, around 500 watts per unit. God willing, there was an improvement yesterday. Hopefully, there would be no more blackouts," he noted in his closing statement.

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Translator: Abdul Hakim, Resinta Sulistiya
Editor: Sri Haryati
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