Increase supply of oxygen, Karnataka govt tells units

The state government has directed all medical oxygen manufacturers in the state to "augment the production and supply" in order to meet the demand.

In a circular, Commerce and Industries Principal Secretary Gaurav Gupta said the government had noted a delay in the supply of liquid oxygen to hospitals.

"The supply of medical oxygen in adequate quantity is an important requirement of managing moderate and severe cases of Covid-19,” Gupta stated.

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"Despite this, it is noticed that there is delay in supply of liquid oxygen to health institutions/hospitals/refilling units by the stakeholders. This tantamount to denial of supply of requisite quantity of medical oxygen to needed persons which in turn amounts to violation of provisions of law (sic).”

All manufacturers of medical oxygen have been directed to "augment production and supply" of liquid oxygen without any interruptions to meet the proportional demand irrespective of the exclusivity of the vendors as per the MoU entered into between the hospital and the supplier, the circular said.