Many states of India are reeling under a critical shortage of medical oxygen – upon which the lives of severe Covid-19 patients are hinged. India requires, on a daily basis, 5,000 MT of medical oxygen. Interestingly, the country produces over 7,200 MT of liquified gas already, and even this capacity is being ramped up on a war footing. Yet, certain states continue to experience a shortage. Many have blamed the Modi government for not being prepared to tackle a humongous second wave of Covid-19, which has led to an unprecedented oxygen deficit in the country.
However, such assertions are miles far from the truth. When India produces over 7,200 metric tonnes of Oxygen every day, even while the demand for the gas is ranging currently between 5,000 -5,500 metric tonnes, there should ideally be no shortage of the gas. Yet, there appears to be one. This is due to the fact that India does not suffer from a “shortage of oxygen production” per se, but is instead plagued with distribution and supply woes. As an example, let us take the case of Max Hospital, Patparganj, which recently moved the Delhi High Court over the non-availability of medical oxygen.
Max hospital in its petition says they have been running from pillar to post and made number of requests both to Central Govt and Delhi Govt.
However, there is no visibility for supply of oxygen to the Hospital from both governments. #DelhiNeedsOxygen #Delhi @AamAadmiParty
— Bar and Bench (@barandbench) April 21, 2021
In fact, Max Hospital, Gurugram only yesterday sent out an SOS saying that its supply truck, which was scheduled to arrive in the morning, was unceremoniously diverted. On Friday, Max Smart Hospital & Max Hospital Saket sent out similar SOS messages, after their scheduled supply never arrived. After the emergency messages, the vehicles carrying oxygen arrived just on time. In the words of these hospitals, every day is a struggle for them on the oxygen front. This has exposed a crippled logistics and distribution network required for the supply of medical oxygen across the length and breadth of the country.
The production centres or centres of supply are very far from where the liquified and crucial gas might be needed on an immediate basis. This leads to a visible demand-supply vacuum. India is a big country, and production centres are concentrated in certain states. Maharashtra and Gujarat, for instance, are heavy producers of medical oxygen. Madhya Pradesh, on the other hand, has no oxygen plant of its own and is entirely dependent on its supplies from other states. The time taken to transport the gas from one state to the other is what is causing an ‘oxygen crisis’ in India.
A shortage of oxygen production in India simply does not exist. With the Centre and state governments beginning to build local PSA oxygen plants, the woes of ordinary citizens will be alleviated soon. Additionally, the Modi government is also reportedly importing over 50,000 MT of medical oxygen, which will further ease the situation in states with no local production of the gas.
Central govt had sanctioned funds in Dec 2020 to set up 8 Pressure Swing Absorption(PSA) Plants for production of Oxygen in Delhi, but AAP Govt failed to provide the land and has set up just one of 8.
AAP Govt in Delhi has miserably failed in their efforts to ram up the oxygen production and other medical infrastructure and instead doing pathetic politics with farmers who are blocking medical supplies at the Delhi borders and now at the last minute AAP Govt to save themselves from their failure started blaming Modi Govt.
I am not sure how Delhi public are not aware of the AAP’s gutter politics and next time do a better decision making before voting for free election promises like free electricity, water, internet, free metro passes because those freebies couldn’t save the life of your loved family.