April, November final 12 months: Officials, House panel flagged oxygen want, scarcity

Almost drowned by the alarm bells ringing throughout the nation over the crucial scarcity of oxygen within the second Covid wave is the truth that the warning indicators got here clear and early: in April one full 12 months in the past after which once more in November.
The first was only a week after the nationwide lockdown started, on April 1, 2020, by one of many 11 Empowered Groups of Officers, arrange by the Centre for planning and implementing an efficient Covid response.
This was the Empowered Group-VI (EG-VI) tasked to coordinate with the “Private Sector, NGOs & International Organizations for response related activities.” In its second assembly, held on April 1 final 12 months, it red-flagged oxygen scarcity.
The minutes of the assembly mentioned: “In the coming days India could face a shortage of oxygen supplies. To address this, CII will coordinate with Indian Gas Association and mitigate the lack of oxygen supply.”
This assembly, headed by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, was attended by India’s Principal Scientific Adviser Ok. Vijay Raghavan; Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade; NDMA member Kamal Kishore; and over half a dozen officers from varied wings of the Government together with the Prime Minister’s Office; Ministry of Home Affairs; Ministry of External Affairs; Cabinet Secretariat; Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs; and NITI Aayog. A dozen business representatives, together with CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee, participated within the assembly.
Asked what follow-up motion was taken after this oxygen warning by the group, an official, who was a part of the assembly, informed The Indian Express: “It was decided that, henceforth ,the DPIIT will look into the issue of Oxygen Supply.”
Family members outdoors a hospital in New Delhi on Thursday. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
Records present that 4 days after this assembly, a nine-member committee was arrange underneath the chairmanship of DPIIT Secretary Guruprasad Mohapatra to “ensure adequate availability of medical oxygen in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.”
Requests for remark to the official spokesperson of the DPIIT and CII by The Indian Express went unanswered.
Incidentally, the day the EG-VI highlighted the scarcity of Oxygen, the variety of complete confirmed circumstances was simply over 2000.

With the regular improve within the variety of Covid-19 circumstances, consumption of medical oxygen continued to rise and jumped to three,000 metric tonnes (MT) per day round September 24-25 (across the peak of first wave of Covid-19) from about 1,000 MT per day pre-Covid.
Hospitals have been complaining of an acute scarcity of oxygen. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
But few warning bells rang as the general manufacturing of medical oxygen was round 6,900 MT per day.
Not simply EG-VI, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health additionally flagged the problem of “availability as well as affordability” of medical oxygen and requested the federal government to “encourage adequate production of Oxygen for ensuring its supply as per demand in the hospitals.”

In one of many conferences of the Committee, held underneath the Chairmanship of Ram Gopal Yadav of Samajwadi Party on October 16, 2020, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan highlighted the usage of “non-invasive oxygen” in Covid-19 therapy and the way it’s delivering “good results.”
“Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare informed the Committee that the Ministry has requested the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to fix the price of oxygen as non-invasive oxygen has been found to deliver good results…,” mentioned the report of the Committee offered to Chairman, Rajya Sabha on November 21, 2020.
“He (Health Secretary) also submitted that during pre-Covid days, the consumption of medical oxygen was almost 1,000 metric tons per day and the rest of the 6,000 metric tons of oxygen was being used in the industry. Therefore, there is a strong need to ensure that the oxygen inventory is in place and oxygen prices are controlled,” states the report titled as “The Outbreak of Pandemic Covid-19 and Its Management.”
A affected person ready outdoors LNJP Hospital in New Delhi on Thursday. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
“The Committee, therefore, strongly advocates National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority to take appropriate measures for capping the price of Oxygen Cylinders so that availability as well as affordability of the Oxygen Cylinders is ensured in all hospitals for medical consumption…The Committee also recommends the Government for encouraging adequate production of Oxygen for ensuring its supply as per demand in the hospitals,” mentioned the report.
The Committee additionally really useful that the Health Ministry make sure the ample provide of oxygen cylinders with “appropriate price caps.”
Fast-forward to this 12 months. Just because the second uptick began, Maharashtra, on March 30 this 12 months, issued an order to “regularize the circulation and supply of oxygen” from manufacturing models positioned inside the state.
“80% of production to be used only for medical oxygen and to be supplied to the hospitals in Maharashtra,” the order mentioned.

On the day of the order, the nationwide each day determine of contemporary Covid-19 circumstances was round 53,000 — and the second wave had simply began.
Yet, it was solely final week that the Centre imposed the prohibition on provide of oxygen to industries with impact from April 22, 2021 saying that the demand for medical oxygen had reached about 60% of complete each day oxygen manufacturing.” This is anticipated to rise on condition that within the second wave, the next share of sufferers require oxygen assist.
“One thing, I am afraid, we might have to regret is not having done enough to ramp up production and supplies of oxygen. The first wave had shown how critical oxygen is to saving lives. It is true, it takes about a year to start new production facilities. But we had about five or six months of time to make emergency arrangements,” mentioned Sudhir Mehta, president of Pune-based Mahratta Chambers of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), which hosts the Pune Platform for Covid Response, a business-led initiative to mobilise important sources within the Pune area.
“Existing manufacturing units could have been encouraged to increase capacities. Additional sources of oxygen could have been found. Supply bottlenecks could have been smoothened. Unfortunately, we are now in a situation very similar to the start of the pandemic last year. And the demand is much more than last year.” (with Amitabh Sinha, Gaya)