"Compared to the first week of September, the demand in the first week of October has come down. The demand has dropped in the last one week or so...," said S Pratapawar, assistant commissioner of FDA.With the number of Covid-19 patients falling in Pune district, the demand for medicinal oxygen has also seen a decline. According to officials of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the demand for medicinal oxygen has dropped from nearly 230 to 200 metric tonne every day.
“Compared to the first week of September, the demand in the first week of October has come down. The demand has dropped in the last one week or so…,” said S Pratapawar, assistant commissioner of FDA.
In the last two days, the demand for medicinal oxygen from hospitals in Pune district has dropped below 200 tonne. On Tuesday, 199 tonne oxygen was supplied to Covid-19 hospitals and on Monday, 197 tonne oxygen was supplied.
Pratapawar said 11 industrial units in Pune district produce 229 metric tonne oxygen every day. “Besides, we get 80-90 tonne oxygen from Thane and nearby areas. Pune district provides medicinal oxygen to all the districts in western Maharashtra, Marathwada and even Nashik and Ahmedngar districts,” he said.
Sadashiv Survase, joint director of Industries department, said as per his information, the demand for medicinal oxygen in the first week of September had reached a high of 290 tonne per day. “It has come down below 200 in the last eight days as the number of patients requiring oxygen has seen a dip in Pune hospitals,” he said.
Pune Zilla Parishad CEO Ayush Prasad said there has been a 40 per cent dip in Covid-19 patients in rural areas of the district. “In 26 rural hospitals, as many as 75 ventilator beds are vacant due to fewer patients and only 12 are occupied. In bigger rural hospitals, several oxygen beds are vacant. Therefore, the demand for medicinal oxygen has come down in rural hosptials,” he said.
Sassoon Hospital dean Dr Murlidhar Tambe said till last week, the hospital was treating over 450 Covid-19 patients at a time. “By Tuesday morning, the patient count stood at 143. Of these, 54 were on ventilator or high-flow oxygen support. As a result, the demand for oxygen has also reduced considerably,” he said.
According to YCM Hospital dean Dr Rajendra Wable, the hospital has treated as many as 550 Covid-19 patients every day. “But as of Tuesday, we have 285 patients. We used to require 4 tonne oxygen every day. Now we required 4 tonne oxygen over two days,” he said,
FDA officials said the demand for medicinal oxygen has also fallen in the neighbouring districts of Sangli, Satara, Solapur and Kolhapur, which come under Pune division.
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