New Delhi (NVI): India’s daily production capacity (7287 MT) and stock (~50,000 MT) of medical oxygen, a critical component in the treatment of COVID-affected patients, is comfortably more than the daily consumption (3842 MT) at present, the inter-ministerial Empowered Group (EG2) of officers today noted.
“The country has a daily production capacity of 7127 MT of oxygen per day. Against this, the total production has been 100 percent since past two days, as directed by EG2, since supply to medical oxygen has gone up rapidly,” according to a statement issued by the Health Ministry.
“On 12th April 2021, the medical oxygen consumption in the country was 3842 MTs, that is 54 percent of the daily production capacity,” it added.
The maximum consumption of medical oxygen in the country is by states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, followed by Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Rajasthan.
Medical oxygen is a critical component in the treatment of COVID-affected patients.
Empowered Group (EG2), constituted during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 to ensure the availability of essential medical equipment including medical oxygen to the affected states, has initiated several measures to ensure the supply of medical oxygen to various affected states.
With increasing cases, the medical oxygen consumption will need to keep pace with the requirements of the States. For this, the current oxygen stocks of the country, including the industrial oxygen stocks with the manufacturing plants, are more than 50,000 MTs.
Along with the ramped-up production of the oxygen manufacturing units and the surplus stocks available, the present availability of oxygen is sufficient, the statement added.
At the same time, states are being asked to make rational use of medical oxygen and ensure there is no wastage of oxygen.
Furthermore, states must set up Control Rooms to ensure smooth supply of oxygen to the districts as per need, review requirement of cylinders, tankers, etc, it further read.
In addition to this, action is being taken to map states to oxygen sources, the EG2 said.
The challenge presently is to move oxygen from States with less necessity to States with increased necessity. Mapping of the surplus sources with States that have a greater need for oxygen, such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, etc is being finalised, in consultation with the manufacturers, States, and other stakeholders.
-CHK
