MUMBAI: Maharashtra is contemplating sea-route import of oxygen to keep enough supplies for Covid patients. The state’s daily production of oxygen is 1,200 metric tonne (MT). However, the demand has surged to 1,278 MT daily.
“Many hospitals in the state have stopped admitting Covid patients because they do not have enough oxygen to provide to the patients. CM Uddhav Thackeray in his letter to PM Modi has said if Covid positive cases continue to increase, then by April-end, Maharashtra would need 2,000 MT of oxygen,” said a health official. Sources ruled out supplies by air of a large quantity of oxygen.
“We are weighing seaway options for which we’d need help from the Central government. We need to act quickly before the situation gets out of hand in hospitals,” said a senior government official. State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the Centre has suggested bringing the supplies from faraway places where steel plants are located.
Bringing the supplies by road will take a long time, besides the quantity of oxygen would not be up to the desired level. “Therefore, we request the Centre to allow us to bring oxygen by railways. The Centre should also provide us adequate stocks of vaccines so that we can vaccinate at least eight lakh people daily. We have a good health infrastructure, but what we need is the Central support,” the health minister added.