“India had three times more liquid medical oxygen than 12 States’ demand”
‘Ten days after this assessment, hospitals in many States continue to complain of shortage’
On April 21, India had three times more liquid medical oxygen accessible within the storage tanks of metal vegetation than the cumulative demand from 12 States with excessive COVID-19 case load, based on papers filed by the Union Home Ministry within the Supreme Court earlier this week.
Ten days after this evaluation, hospitals in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and different States proceed to complain of scarcity of oxygen provide with relations of sufferers sending misery requires cylinders as hospitals ran out of beds.
Around 16,000 metric ton liquid oxygen for medical use was accessible in storage tanks of metal vegetation on April 21, although on April 20, the demand from 12 States with excessive case load together with Delhi, cumulatively stood at 4,880 MT.
According to an evaluation by the Delhi authorities on a median, a affected person occupying an oxygen mattress requires 10 litre oxygen per minute and people within the ICUs require 24 litre oxygen per minute.
India up to now solely has 1,224 tankers with a capability of 16,732 MT to hold medical oxygen. The authorities is within the course of of producing more cryogenic tankers, with some international international locations additionally sending such tankers on lease by industrial agreements.
The disbursal of medical oxygen has been taken over by an empowered group of officers below the Central authorities by an order issued below the Disaster (*12*) Act. Though the empowered group was constituted in September 2020, the mapping train of availability was accomplished in conferences from April 11-14, on the peak of the disaster.
“….Apart from the current generation of liquid medical oxygen, the steel sector has made available the liquid oxygen in its storage tanks for medical use [approximately 16,000 MT LMO is available as on April 21]. ….Till date the steel industry has supplied 1,43,000 MT of LMO since September, 2020. As such, in April 2021, supplies of LMO by the steel sector have increased from 1000 MT per day in the first week of April 2021 to around 2600 MT on April 21,” the Ministry mentioned in an affidavit.
Steel vegetation use oxygen in gaseous type however they’ll additionally produce a selected amount of liquid oxygen for medical use. Steel vegetation are the primary suppliers of medical and industrial oxygen in India.
Guidelines on considered use
The affidavit additionally consists of tips on “judicious use of oxygen” by the Union Health Ministry issued on April 22 that claims that out of 100 COVID-19 sufferers, solely three require admission within the ICU and round 17 with “moderate disease” will want oxygen beds.
The Health Ministry requested States to make sure that the “flow of oxygen should be adjusted to the lowest permissible level to target an oxygen saturation of 92%-94% for the hospitalised COVID-19 patients”.
It warned hospitals of indiscriminate use of non-invasive air flow strategies on sufferers and mentioned Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BIPAP) needs to be most well-liked to High Flow Nasal cannula (HFNC) because the latter consumes monumental quantity of oxygen.