Hyderabad: The state government has halted all supplies of industrial oxygen and is using all available oxygen manufacturing capacities to meet the increased demand for the life-saving gas for the increasing number of Covid-19 patients as well as ensuring availability to patients suffering from other serious health conditions that require supplemental oxygen.
In pre-Covid pandemic times, the state used to use 1.2-1.3 tonnes of medical oxygen a day. Now the demand is between 2.3-2.4 tonnes a day and to ensure enough oxygen is available, the government has ordered a stoppage of supply of the gas to industries, Director of Health Services Dr G. Srinivasa Rao told reporters.
There is no shortage of oxygen but it is now a national resource and must be used judiciously, he said, adding that there was also wastage of the precious gas when high-flow settings are used on patients who do not require it and when the tubes are moved away from the nose when patients move.
