Lok Sabha Question No. 1448 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-10
Subject: Availability of Medical Oxygen
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Sukhbir Singh Badal, Mohammad Jawed

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1448 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.02.2023

## AVAILABILITY OF MEDICAL OXYGEN

## 1448. SHRI SUKHBIR SINGH BADAL: DR. MOHAMMAD JAWED:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has reviewed its preparedness to tackle any new variant of COVID19 in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government is well prepared and equipped for providing Oxygen Supplies to meet any emergency like second wave of COVID-19 wherein lakhs of people lost lives for want of oxygen and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government have fixed responsibilities on the nodal officers in all districts and also appointed nodal officers for making available adequate oxygen supplies for hospitals to meet demands in the event of any spurt in cases of COVID-19 and if so, the details thereof along with the capacities deployed, district-wise;
- (d) whether the Government has taken adequate steps for oxygen availability in the country and if so, the details of availability of oxygen (quantities) during the last six months beginning July 2022;
- (e) whether  the  Government  intends  to  set  up  National  Medical  Oxygen  Grid  for  the  timely delivery of medical oxygen across the country, particularly during health crisis and if so, the details thereof and if not the reasons therefor; and
- (f) the other necessary steps taken to ensure that man-made disasters do not recur in future?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE (DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

(a) to (f): Given the emergence of variants of COVID-19 virus with variable transmissibility and their possible health implications, Union Ministry of Health is following COVID-19 trajectory globally and in the country along with various expert committees. In addition, Indian SARS-CoV2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) network laboratories conducts whole genome sequencing of samples for detection of mutant variants of the virus.

'Health' is  a  State  subject.  Ministry  of  Health  &  Family  Welfare  is  supporting  States  in  their endeavour to enhance preparedness and response capacities against COVID-19. Various initiatives have been taken by the Government to provide technical guidance and further strengthen health

infrastructure,  availability  of  essential  logistics  including  drugs  and  medical  oxygen  supply  to manage COVID-19. All States/UTs have been provided with financial support under National Health Mission and Emergency COVID-19 Response Packages (ECRP) - I & II for health system strengthening in terms of availability of oxygen supported beds, ICU beds, ventilators, etc.

In  order  to  address  any  surge  in  demand  for  medical  oxygen,  the  Central  Government  has supported States in increasing the availability, streamlining the distribution and strengthening the oxygen storage infrastructure in the country. Some of the initiatives include:

-  Under  Emergency  COVID  Preparedness  and  Response  package  (ECRP-II),  938  Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) Tanks and 1359 Medical Gas Pipeline Systems (MGPS) have been sanctioned to States to augment the availability of medical Oxygen in public healthcare system. Overall, the number of LMO tanks and oxygen storage capacity has been increased to 1,242 LMOs with a capacity of 15,622.
-  As on 7 th February, 2023, 4,135 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants with a total capacity of 4852 MT of medical oxygen have been sanctioned in the country to enhance institutional in-house capacity for medical oxygen production.
-  More than 4 lakh oxygen cylinders and 1.43 lakh oxygen concentrators have been provided to States. Further, 1.5 lakh SpO2 based oxygen control systems cylinders have been procured and distributed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
-  An online Oxygen Demand Aggregation System (ODAS) has been developed to ascertain the demand for medical oxygen from all health facilities. More than 9,000 active facilities are updating  oxygen  demand  on  the  portal.  Also,  a  platform  known  as  'OxyCare'  has  been developed  to  collect  the  status  of  all  oxygen  related  equipment.  The  platform  contains information  regarding  PSA  plants,  embedded  Internet  of  Things  (IoT)  devices,  oxygen cylinders, ventilators, oxygen concentrators and other medical oxygen related equipment.
-  To avoid wastage of medical oxygen, guidelines on rational use of oxygen have been issued to all States. All States have been advised rational use of oxygen and to prohibit the wasteful usage by strict monitoring.

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare monitors the situation closely and is in regular interaction with  States  through  virtual  meetings  and  formal  communications  to  review  preparedness  and response measures to address COVID-19 pandemic.

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