Suppliers flag critical oxygen scarcity in Maharashtra, Gujarat, MP, urge judicious use

A worker in Prayagraj filling oxygen cylinders, for use in a Covid-19 hospital facility. Photo: Sanjay Kanojia / AFP

India's oxygen consumption has rocketed to an all-time high of 4,300 metric tonnes a day, leaving hospitals in many states with just one day’s stock of the life-saving gas on average, even as authorities gear up to import the life-saving gas and restrict its industrial use.

“The status of medical oxygen is critical now ... The usage of oxygen should be rationalised as we do not have an unlimited quantity of oxygen. States should use their stocks responsibly,” said Saket Tiku, president of the All India Industrial Gases Manufacturers’ Association.

Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh are facing a major shortage, and Delhi will join the list of critically deficit states if cases continue to rise, according to the industry body.

Hospitals earlier had stocks to meet demand for three days but consumption has risen 39 percent above the previous peak of 3,100 tonnes on September 18 and is more than five times the pre-pandemic level of 850 tonnes, he said.

After September’s peak, demand had fallen to 1,200 tonnes on February 11 as the number of cases was declining, but infections and oxygen consumption have multiplied in the past five weeks.

The association said the supply chain is stressed as the country has limited availability of specialised cryogenic tanks in which oxygen is transported.

To meet rising demand, the Centre has decided to import 50,000 metric tonnes of medical oxygen. Keeping in view of the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases in various parts of the country and the consequent spike in demand for medical oxygen, particularly in high-burden States of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, the government has given priority to the supply of medical oxygen.

An empowered group of committee formed to monitor the supply of essential medical equipment during the pandemic has decided to focus on these 12 high-burden states and has decided to direct 17,000 metric tonnes of additional oxygen to these states.

The Union Home Secretary has already written to Chief Secretaries of States and administrators of Union Territories, urging them to instruct all authorities concerned to take necessary measures to prohibit the supply of oxygen for industrial purpose, except in nine key industries.

The nine key industries include ampoules and vials, pharmaceutical, petroleum refineries, steel plants, nuclear energy facilities, oxygen cylinder manufacturers, wastewater treatment plants, food and water purification and process industries which require the uninterrupted operation of furnaces and processes.

Similarly, there is a surge in demand for certain key medical equipment too. “Hospitals are buying a lot of ventilators and there is a short supply of oxygen concentrators too – machines that can remove nitrogen from the air. However, the demand for other medical equipment has gone down to 10 percent of what it was before because of a drop in elective surgeries,” said Pavan Choudary, chairman of the Medical Technology Association of India.

In addition, the Indian Railways is gearing up to transport Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) and Oxygen Cylinders across the key corridors, and to run Oxygen Express. To facilities easy and smooth transport of oxygen across the country, a Green Corridor is being created to fast movement of Oxygen Express Trains.