21 April,2021 05:42 AM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan
People take refilled oxygen cylinders from Speed Oxygen. Pics/Hanif Patel
The shortage of oxygen to hospitals in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has hit not just private and civic centres, but also defence hospitals who have been queuing up outside manufacturing companies. On Tuesday, mid-day visited one of the largest oxygen manufacturing companies, Phoenix Gas Limited in Turbhe, MIDC and found dozens of trucks and mini tempos waiting outside to fill their oxygen cylinders.
An auto outside the Speed Oxygen plant in Nalasopara
With oxygen suppliers not able to meet the demand, hospitals are having to send their own vehicles with ward boys to get oxygen from manufacturing units. "Amid the high levels of consumption, suppliers are not able to meet the demand at every hospital. Every day, I make multiple rounds to manufacturing units to fill empty oxygen cylinders," said Sandesh Pilane, a ward boy from Siddhi Vinayak hospital.
"In a bid to fulfil client hospitals' needs, we haven't been able to sleep properly for the past few days. Most of them have been taking it directly from manufacturing companies as we are not able to handle the pressure. All our staff is stuck with providing supply to a few hospitals. Currently, I am trying to get some cylinders for a Raigad hospital and waiting for my turn," said Maruti Jhinjhure, an oxygen supplier. Jhinjhure claimed that some of the manufacturing units are being partial towards a few selected hospitals by giving them cylinders in huge quantities while smaller ones are getting only a few, leading to multiple trips.
The lack of oxygen has also hit one of the largest defence hospitals, INHS Asvini at Colaba. An army vehicle was seen waiting outside Phoenix Gas Limited to fill oxygen cylinders. "We have never witnessed such a crisis and an acute shortage of oxygen cylinders. Every day, we have been making one trip to the manufacturing company to get oxygen for our COVID-19 patients," a staff present inside the vehicle said. mid-day has learnt that many retired defence personnel are undergoing COVID treatment at INHS Asvini. A mail sent to Chief Public Relations Officer, Defence went unanswered.
A civic ambulance waits outside Speed Oxygen in Nalasopara
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) staff and vehicles were also seen with large trolleys to load cylinders. They needed the oxygen for a civic isolation centre. "The pressure is huge, the vehicles are going to every manufacturing unit wherever oxygen is available. We are just doing our duty to save lives. People have been dying due to lack of oxygen," a ward boy working for a civic-run health facility said.
According to the watchman of Phoenix Gas Limited, dozens of vehicles come from hospitals daily and wait for hours to get oxygen.
On Monday, mid-day visited Speed Oxygen, the largest oxygen manufacturing plant in Nalasopara East and found civic and police teams deployed to keep a check on the supply.
The owner of Speed Oxygen, Prasad Raut, said, "We are following all government guidelines. We have been asked by the authorities to supply cylinders only in the Palghar district. We are getting enquiries from Mumbai and nearby areas, but we are turning them away."
mid-day speaks to Maruti Jhinjhure, an oxygen supplier in Turbhe. Pic/Rajesh Gupta
After mid-day's report on the shortage of empty cylinders, police and civic officials have intensified their watch.
An officer attached to Waliv police station said, "We received information that there is black marketing of O2 gas cylinders meant for medical purpose. So we are doing an inspection around the plant."
A senior officer of the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) said, "We have deployed one civic team at the plant and they are checking the files. The plant has been suggested to prioritise people and hospitals in Palghar district."
mid-day witnessed people visiting the plant in auto-rickshaws, on scooters, carrying empty O2 canisters to get them filled. Many hospitals had sent their staff and vehicles to refill oxygen cylinders. One ambulance from a civic-run hospital was also present at the spot.
Suppliers from Mumbai are equally affected by the shortage. A distributor in Mumbai, Khalid Sayyed, who runs Lok Seva Traders, told mid-day that demand has increased ten-fold. "I have been distributing oxygen cylinders to around 55 hospitals between Dahisar and Malad. With a ten-fold rise in demand amid the surge, the supply has been affected."
Distributor Choradia Deep Agency based in Malad said the same and added that they have to send their own vehicle to Navi Mumbai to get the canisters refilled. "We spend almost an entire day waiting for our turn. Our customers are not hospitals but those who need oxygen support for their treatment. There are asthmatic patients in need. The cost has also gone up," said proprietor Dipti Choradia.
"The manufactures say that they are not getting adequate raw material to produce gaseous oxygen at their plan," Choradia said, adding that they charge a R10,000 refundable deposit from their customers.
