Bhubaneswar: In view of the ongoing oxygen crisis in many parts of the country, the state government has decided to augment its oxygen stock by more than 10 times the stock maintained during the peak of Covid-19 last year.
Speaking to Orissa POST, Health Director Bijay Mohapatra said, “We have sufficient stock of oxygen now in liquid form, gas pipeline, cylinder and concentrated form. We are augmenting the stock limit keeping the last year’s demand in view.”
The stock will be enhanced by 10 times the stock of September, 2020, when Odisha witnessed the highest number of Covid-19 cases, the director added. Mohapatra said the state government has made provision of gas pipeline in all Covid hospitals so that the entire hospital can get oxygen through one source.
Moreover, concentrated oxygen plants have been installed in the medical colleges, the director stated. The state government is also closely regulating the supply and export of oxygen produced in the state.
The producers will have to take permission from the Drugs Controller to supply the essential item to other states, he added.
Sources in the office of the Drugs Controller said the state has 29 oxygen production units, of which cylinder refilling is being carried out at 23 units while oxygen is produced in liquid form in bulk quantity at another four units.
The state has a capacity to produce around 12,000 oxygen cylinders each day and there is sufficient stock of liquid oxygen, the sources said.
Notably, The Home Department Friday issued an order for constitution of a high-level panel to check hoarding and black marketing of drugs and medical supplies in the wake of rising Covid cases.
The department has appointed the Additional Director General (Crime Branch), Cuttack as chairman of the panel.
The other two members will include an officer who should not be below the rank of Joint Secretary from health department besides the Drugs Controller from the state.
PNN