NEW DELHI: Two days after asking states to take responsibility for ensuring oxygen to all needy Covid-19 patients, the Centre on Sunday asked seven states to ensure its availability in all hospitals and allow its intra as well as unrestricted movement.
These big states included Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The Union ministry of health and family welfare has intervened into the issue of oxygen availability amid reports that many hospitals in several states are struggling to cope with high demand of oxygen for Covid-19 patients.
In the meeting in which officials from Centre and states and industry representatives participated, the Union government has advised the states to ensure facility wise oxygen inventory management and advance planning for timely replenishment so that there are no stockouts.
Reiterating that no restriction is imposed on the movement of medical oxygen between states, the Centre has also created these states to create provision of “Green Corridor” for liquid medical oxygen tanks within the cities. Also, the states have been asked to ensure timely payment of the due bills to the manufacturers and suppliers to maintain uninterrupted supply of oxygen.
The Centre also emphasised on improving power supply infrastructure and ensuring uninterrupted supply to oxygen manufacturing units.
It also said that proper disinfection of oxygen cylinders should be carried out as per protocols while sending cylinders to fillers of oxygen and there should be effective coordination with steel plants for oxygen procurement.
Centre to give 50 tonne oxygen per day to MP
The Centre has agreed to supply 50 tonnes of oxygen per day to Madhya Pradesh, which is facing oxygen shortage amid a rise in Covid-19 cases, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
“On my request, the Government of India today has agreed to supply 50 tonne oxygen a day, taking our oxygen availability to 180 tonne a day,” Chouhan tweeted on Saturday night. He also thanked PM Narendra Modi and Union minister Piyush Goyal for their support to the state.