Inadequate oxygen availability or supply at hospitals as Covid-19 surged within 4-5 weeks has been identified as one of the possible reasons for higher number of deaths in the second wave of the pandemic.
A roadmap is now being drawn to ramp up the oxygen infrastructure across regions in the country.
The central government is preparing to create capacity for about 15,000 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) in the country for emergencies that may arise in the future, such as another wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Action plans are also being drawn up with all state governments to prepare for a ‘worse-case scenario’ in the future — if the scale of infections rises exponentially as seen in the second wave, ET has gathered.
Inadequate oxygen availability or supply at hospitals as Covid-19 surged within 4-5 weeks has been identified as one of the possible reasons for higher number of deaths in the second wave of the pandemic.
A roadmap is now being drawn to ramp up the oxygen infrastructure across regions in the country.
From a requirement of about 3,100 metric tonnes of LMO at the peak of the first wave, India touched a record high oxygen demand of 8,000-plus metric tonnes in mid-May. Total LMO production India touched around 9,690 metric tonnes on May 13.
The Centre is now looking to scale this figure up to 15,000 metric tonnes in the next 6-8 months, through a concerted action plan involving all state governments.
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While about 2,500 metric tonnes of LMO is likely to be added through some 1,700 pressure-swing adsorption plants slated to come up by August this year, 1,500 metric tonnes is expected to come from new large-scale oxygen plants. It is expected that state governments will be able to independently add 500-1,000 metric tonnes to the capacity in the next 6-8 months.
A state-wise action plan is already in the process of being drawn up by empowered groups. Oxygen mapping is being done — dividing India into ten regions based on oxygen availability, supply chain and capacity to ensure adequate infrastructure in all regions and geographies, sources said.
The 15,000-metric tonne LMO plan has identified ten states as areas that need a major ramp up in oxygen production and supply systems to be self-sufficient in case of any surge.
