Oxygen supply augmented, almost doubled than demand in Punjab

Nitin Jain

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 7

Learning lessons from the past when patients suffered due to shortage of oxygen, the supply of the life-saving gas has been augmented and almost doubled than the demand in the state, the government has confirmed.

Oxygen demand and supply

• Second Covid wave (actual): 308.8 metric tonnes
• Third wave (projected): 386 metric tonnes
• Present supply per day: 609 metric tonnes

The oxygen supply has been enhanced to 609 metric tonnes (MT), which was almost 37 per cent more than 386 MT, the projected demand for the possible third Covid wave, official figures have revealed.

The oxygen demand and supply figures compiled by the Health and Family Welfare Department, which is available with The Tribune, showed that the actual demand of the life-saving gas in the second Covid wave was 308.8 MT and the projected demand for the possible third virus wave was 386 MT, which was 25 per cent more than the second wave.

The present supply has been augmented to 609 MT, which included 162 MT from PSA plants, 121 MT from ASUs, 124 MT from 9,229 oxygen concentrators, and 202 MT from LMOs made available by the Centre in the second wave.

The summary of oxygen plants through the PM Cares fund in the state showed that 24 plants were commissioned and under trial, 16 plants received and under installation, and one plant was yet to be received.

Among the plants received under donations and CSR funds, 21 have been commissioned and under trial, nine plants have been received and under installation, while 11 plants were yet to be received.

In Ludhiana, 10 new pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen generating plants, which are a source of medical-grade life-saving gas, with 5,415 LPM capacity have been installed recently to further ramp up the existing health infrastructure and prepare the district to successfully fight the Covid surge, if any, in future.

Besides, the district has already acquired maximum cylinders and the highest number of oxygen concentrators to build a strong medical oxygen infrastructure has been built for meeting the anticipated high demand of the life-saving gas in future.

The development assumes significance as an acute shortage of medical oxygen, its cylinders and concentrators was faced while catering to the unprecedented demand of the serious and critical patients who were hospitalised in hordes during the second Covid wave, which had rapidly slid into a devastating crisis when the health facilities had unbearably fell short, oxygen supplies had ran low and many died even without seeing a doctor.

Ludhiana, which being the biggest district with a maximum population of 4-million had passed through a harrowing time during the deadly second Covid wave.

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