Highlights
- The central government has decided to import about 50,000 MT of medical oxygen
- The affected population is not simply restricted to covid-19 patients.
- The twelve most affected states in the country are being mapped to fulfill the oxygen requirement.
Due to the rise of patients over the nation, there is an unusual surge in demand for medical oxygen cylinders in most states of India. The realization that more oxygen cylinders might be required had hit the central quite late, and now they are trying every measure to ramp up the production rate of oxygen cylinders. The surplus stocks of the high burden states are also being evaluated at present to map the requirements. A meeting was organized with the empowered groups of secretaries concerned about the medical supplies for coronavirus. At the meeting, the current situation was evaluated based on the availability of medical equipment and oxygen cylinders during the pandemic.
The Data Of Available Medical Oxygen In India
The site situation around the country has induced the central government to decide the import of about 50,000 metric tonnes of oxygen to meet the shortage. The government continues to maintain that there is a regular production of 7,127 metric tonnes of oxygen in the country. The government claims that there is enough medical oxygen for the consumption of the nation at present. On 12th April, it was seen that about 54% of oxygen was used up despite the sharp rise of patients.
With the surge of cases around the country, it is tough for the Central Government to find a solution in the states’ best interest. The situation has been compared with that of mid-August in 2020, when the cases were rising rapidly. The same situation is coming back but with even more force.
At present, it is believed that 4.5% of the affected population is using medical oxygen supplies. Other areas require oxygen as well. That is why the shortage of oxygen can be realized in states with a greater count of Covid-19 patients.
Covid-19 Worst Hit States
The states which are affected mainly by the covid 19 surge are stated as the following:
- Maharashtra
- Rajasthan
- Madhya Pradesh
- Uttar Pradesh
- Chattisgarh
- Karnataka
- Kerala
- Tamil Nadu
- Delhi
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Gujarat
The Central Government has started to map the requirements of these 12 states to understand their needs for oxygen cylinders. Utmost care is being taken to ensure no kind of interruptions in the medical oxygen in these states or other states.
Tracking OF Oxygen Cylinders Availability
A new simple framework that is indicative of the requirement of oxygen in the values of metric ton for every state has been designed. The other states can also be monitored with this new plan for tracking the availability of medical oxygen cylinders.