The supply of oxygen in Mumbai has seen a drastic fall as demand for oxygen cylinders are at an all-time high. The scarcity is mostly due to the fresh wave of coronavirus which is testing Mumbai’s healthcare infrastructure.
Keeping this in mind, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to appoint six nodal officers to organize supply between oxygen providers and the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).
Mumbai Guardian Minister Aaditya Thackeray chaired a meeting on Thursday to gauge the current situation surrounding oxygen supply. BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, FDA Commissioner Abhimanyu Kale, and others were also present at the meeting.
The BMC has said that the city has 150 COVID-19 hospitals with up to 20,000 beds. The civic body further said in a statement, “As cases are rising, the civic body is ramping up beds. This has also increased demand for oxygen as the city is recording daily 8-10,000 cases. To ensure smooth supply of oxygen for Covid-19 patients these nodal officers will coordinate with agencies as well as FDA.”
BMC also said that hospitals in Mumbai are supplied with 235 metric tonnes of oxygen every day. But the COVID-19 spike has meant that more oxygen is required in the city. The FDA has now assured the authorities that more stock will be supplied.
Also read - COVID-19: Maharashtra To Get 100MT Oxygen Supply From Reliance's Jamnagar Plant
Each of the six nodal officers will be tasked with handling up to four civic wards. Meanwhile, six oxygen suppliers have been earmarked for the city’s supply.
We have come across instances over the past few days of patients waiting outside hospitals due to the unavailability of beds, while oxygen supply has also been scarce. This phenomenon has also been witnessed in other states of the country such as Chhatisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, and others.
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