Pakistan may face oxygen shortage, warn producers

Pakistan may face a similar situation to India which is struggling with the shortage of oxygen gas for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, O2 producers of the country issue stern warning.

Pakistan’s oxygen supply capacity is now under stress as the third wave of coronavirus intensifies across the country.

An official of Pakistan Oxygen Limited, an oxygen-producing company, while talking to a national daily said that 100 percent of oxygen produced by the company is being supplied to the healthcare facilities due to an increase in its demand amid the third coronavirus wave.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan on Saturday recorded 5,908 new COVID-19 cases while 4,682 patients are reported to be in critical condition.

“If cases continue to rise, hospitals may face a shortage of oxygen as we are producing at our maximum capacity,” the official added.

The official added that oxygen produced in the country is used for both treatments of respiratory problems as well as in the industry.

“The industrial sector is still being supplied oxygen at the moment and if demands increase, authorities would have to cut the oxygen supply to the industrial sector or we may face the situation like India also,” the official further said.

Read more: PIMS Hospital Islamabad has run out of space to admit COVID-19 patients

Representative of Multan Chemicals Limited, Muneeb Khan Babar added that country’s oxygen-producing sector has been under stress and if the demand for oxygen from the health sectors increases, they will have to curtail the supply to the industrial sector.

However, the official maintained that Pakistani oxygen producers are capable of meeting the domestic requirements if they worked at their maximum capacity and for that, they are being facilitated by the authorities.

Earlier in the week, Head of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Asad Umar had shared his concerns over the Oxygen supply capacity in Pakistan being under stress.

Sharing his concerns on Twitter, the minister said, “Hospital fill up continuing to grow. Critical care patients now above 4500, which is 30% higher than the peak in June last year. Oxygen supply capacity in the country is now under stress. Sop compliance remains low. We are making a huge mistake by not following sop’s.”