MUMBAI: The government has allowed manufacturers of industrial
oxygen to produce the gas for medical use too, a move aimed at ensuring uninterrupted supply of materials that are required for treatment of people with severe symptoms of Covid-19.
In view of the fast-spreading novel
coronavirus infection, for which there is no vaccine, the World Health Organisation has advised all countries to work towards optimising the availability of pulse oximeters and medical oxygen systems.
While there is enough stock of medical oxygen right now, the government has simplified the process of getting a licence to manufacture medical-grade oxygen, in case the need arises. The government has said that industrial gas manufacturers will be given licence to produce medical-grade oxygen within 24 hours of applying for one if they undertake to produce it as per the prescribed standards.
“There is ample oxygen in stock. The demand has declined from pre-Covid days by almost 20-25% because hospitals have deferred elective surgeries for later. Due to the lockdown, supply to industry has been disrupted. This gas can be easily converted into medicalgrade oxygen and supplied to hospitals now,” Saket Tiku, president of All India Industrial Gases Manufacturers Association (AIIGMA), told ET.
He said India has 80,000 tonnes of oxygen in stock, while consumption of medical oxygen is about 700 tonnes a day. But the government and industry is preparing for contingencies.
In a letter to drug controllers of states and Union Territories, dated April 7, the drugs controller general of India said that industrial oxygen units should be granted licence to manufacture oxygen for medical use within 24 hours of receiving application and fees, as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and rules. These units will have to give an undertaking in writing to manufacture medical oxygen in compliance with the standards prescribed in Indian pharmacopoeia and labelling requirements as per the Act.