Covid in India: How Kerala escaped an oxygen crisis anjana@khaleejtimes.com Filed on April 23, 2021
A man waits to refill a medical oxygen cylinder at a charging station on the outskirts of Prayagraj. AP
The state is producing surplus oxygen when rest of India is gasping for breath
The second wave has turned India into a Covid hell with 16 million confirmed cases and daily infections soaring to over 300,000 for a second day.
Healthcare systems have collapsed in many states under the staggering number of patients wanting medical care. Reports from across the country show how bodies are waiting for burial in hospitals even as more people are dying due to the lack of oxygen.
Express News Service
KOCHI: On Sunday, Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane took to Twitter to thank his Kerala counterpart KK Shailaja. I extend my gratitude to (Smt.) @shailajateacher (Madam, Hon) Health Minister of Kerala for helping us with the movement of 20,000 litres of liquid oxygen for COVID patients in the state of Goa. The people of Goa are grateful for your contribution to our fight against #COVID19, he tweeted.
While Kerala s oxygen production is getting recognised, thanks to its surplus medical oxygen in its possession, the success was not achieved overnight. Kerala is the only state which currently has surplus oxygen. One reason for this could be that the PESO (Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation) and state health department have been able to calculate the oxygen requirement of each patient and ensure optimal supply whereas this process has been not very rigorous in other states. PESO, Kerala initiated the oxygen monitoring since March 23 last year along wi