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Allocate more oxygen to Bengal to prevent deaths: Mamata to PM
In her third letter to the PM in as many days, she wrote,“Any allocation of medical oxygen less than the requested amount (550 MT) will not only adversely affect the supply of medical oxygen but may also result in loss of lives of the patients, in the state
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allocate at least 550 metric tonne (MT) of medical oxygen to the state every day, without which, she said, more Covid patients may lose their lives.
In her third letter to the PM in as many days, she wrote,“Any allocation of medical oxygen less than the requested amount (550 MT) will not only adversely affect the supply of medical oxygen but may also result in loss of lives of the patients, in the state.”
On Thursday, West Bengal reported 18,431 new Covid-19 cases with the death toll at 117.
On May 5, soon after resuming charge as the chief minister, Banerjee wrote to the PM over insufficient supply of vaccines, and shortage of essential drugs and medical oxygen. She also pointed out that the demand of medical oxygen in the state had doubled -- from 220MT to 400 MT per day. On Thursday, she shot off another letter to the PM, urging him to “advise the concerned ministry to release the due fund to the eligible farmers (under PM-Kisan scheme) and share the database of the over 2 million farmers”.
Reiterating her demand for oxygen allocation, Banerjee said in her letter on Friday that the demand for medical oxygen in the state has further shot up to 470 MT in the last 24 hours and is expected to touch 550 MT in another week.
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“However instead of allocating the same as per the requirement of West Bengal, the Centre has increased allocation of medical oxygen to other states, from the total production in West Bengal,” she alleged.
She alleged that the Centre has increased the allocation to other states from 230 MT to 360 MT and this is being diverted from the 560 MT produced in the state even as the allocation for Bengal has been kept constant at 308 MT.
“Considering the critical solution, I would request you to kindly have the allocation reviewed and instructions issued for an immediate allocation of at least 550 MT per day of medical oxygen preferably out of the total oxygen produced in the state,” the letter stated.
A senior official said that the state has set up more than 12,500 beds in block and sub divisional level hospitals where patients can receive round-the-clock oxygen supply. The government is coming up with 55 oxygen plants, which are expected to start production by June, and oxygen plants have already been set up at two state-run hospitals.Liquid medical oxygen tanks are also being set up at six hospitals and industrial oxygen is being diverted to hospitals to prevent any shortfall, the official said.
