Kerala Chief Minister-designate Pinarayi Vijayan has written a letter to the Prime Minister, asking to immediately increase the allocation of medical oxygen to the state. The CM says that the cyclonic storm forming in the Arabian Sea, might cause power disruptions and this in turn will affect the supply chain of medical oxygen in the state.
“It is anticipated that there may be disruptions in electricity supply to oxygen generation plants and filling stations. There can also be disruptions in road transport which would impede timely oxygen supply necessary to save precious lives,” Pinarayi says in the letter.
The Chief Minister has said that Kerala’s daily oxygen allocation must be immediately enhanced to 450 MT. “It is also requested that at least 300 MT oxygen may be immediately rushed to Kerala from neighbouring storage points to augment the storage in hospitals in the wake of the impending cyclonic storm,” he said in the letter.
The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a cyclonic storm warning, forecasting heavy to very heavy rains and winds in parts of Kerala on May 14 and 15.
The CM has also added that as per the current scientific projections, the total daily oxygen requirement for medical purposes in Kerala could rapidly rise to 423.60 MT within the next three days. However, at present, the storage of oxygen in hospitals is only for less than 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the Union government on Thursday in a letter stated that the allocation of medical oxygen to Kerala is being raised from 223 MT to 358 MT per day. As per the order issued by Dr Sanjay Roy, Director of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Kerala will be allotted medical oxygen from states Karnataka, Odisha and Tamil Nadu, apart from the manufacturers in the state itself.
Modified oxygen allocation from various manufacturers to Kerala