Ensure smooth movement of medical oxygen: Centre to states

Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla emphasised that medical oxygen is an essential public health commodity and any impediment in the supplies of medical oxygen in the country may critically impact the management of patients suffering from Covid-19 disease in other parts of the country.

Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla on Friday wrote to the chief secretaries of all the states and Union territories to ensure that is no restriction on the movement of persons and vehicles transporting medical oxygen.

Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla said no such restriction is imposed on the movement of medical oxygen between the states and Union territories. (HT file photo)

He emphasised that medical oxygen is an essential public health commodity and any impediment in the supplies of medical oxygen in the country may critically impact the management of patients suffering from Covid-19 disease in other parts of the country.

Taking cognisance of fact that various states and Union territories have imposed restrictions on certain activities to break the chain of transmission of coronavirus, Bhalla added that no such restriction is imposed on the movement of medical oxygen between the states and Union territories.

He said transport authorities shall be instructed to allow free inter-state movement of oxygen-carrying vehicles.

“No restrictions shall be imposed on oxygen manufacturers and suppliers to limit the oxygen supplies only to hospitals of the state in which they are located in. There shall be free movement of oxygen-carrying vehicles into the cities, without any restriction of timings, while also enabling inter-city supply without restriction,” the home secretary wrote in this advisory to the chief secretaries.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took a comprehensive review of the current situation of oxygen supply and the projected use in the coming fortnight across 12 high burden states

The states have been advised to increase dedicated Covid-19 beds and use the available buildings in hospital campuses (including AIIMS) for the creation of additional dedicated wards for the treatment of patients with coronavirus disease.

The states were also advised to make use of the hospitals of central ministries and PSUs for treating Covid-19 patients.

Meanwhile, India extended its record daily run of new Covid-19 infections on Friday, with 217,353 fresh cases, according to the Union health ministry. This marks the eighth record daily increase in the last nine days and took total cases to nearly 14.3 million.

India's case count is second only to the United States, which has reported more than 31 million infections. The Covid-19 death toll in India rose by 1,185 over the past 24 hours — the highest single-day rise in seven months — to reach a total of 174,308, the health ministry reported.