Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases in India, the demand for oxygen in hospitals across the country has increased. Several hospitals have reported acute shortages of medical oxygen, an essential resource for treating coronavirus patients. As demand increased, the black market for medical oxygen grew exponentially.
As India faces oxygen shortages, profiteers are taking advantage of this public health crisis to charge exorbitant prices, sometimes as high as double or triple the advertised price.
FIVE FOLD THE PRICE FOR REFILLS
India Today TV conducted an investigation in Delhi and found that an oxygen seller was selling gas cylinders for five times the advertised price.
Janu Saini, a small salesman at Pratap Gas in Delhi’s Shahdara, asked for 1,500 rupees to refill a large cylinder that would otherwise cost 300 rupees. He asked for 500 rupees to refill a small canister, a service that would otherwise cost 100 rupees.
“We’ll give this to you for 2,000 rupees,” said Saini, pointing to a cylinder and adding, “It’s 47 liters. You can pay me Rs 1,500. “He offered to refill the cylinder in half an hour.
When the customer appealed and said, “But you charged 1,200 rupees the day before,” said Saini, quoting the prices openly.
“You must have taken it at that price. I do not deny that. But we quote the (daily) prices here openly, ”replied Saini when he asked for 500 rupees to fill a small cylinder.
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MAYDAY CALLS ON OXYGEN
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, made an emergency call an impending failure of medical oxygen in some hospitals in the state capital.
CM Arvind Kejriwal called on the center to provide oxygen to the state capital, saying that hospitals are facing acute shortages due to an overwhelming increase in Covid-19 infections. The CM in Delhi wrote on Twitter: “Delhi is still in a severe oxygen crisis. I urge the center again to urgently provide Delhi with oxygen. Some hospitals only have a few hours of oxygen left.”
A severe oxygen crisis persists in Delhi. I again urge the center to urgently oxygenate Delhi. Some hospitals only have a few hours of oxygen left.
– Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 20, 2021
Similar chaotic scenes have been observed in several other parts of the country, including Maharashtra, which remains India’s hardest hit state.
Currently, Maharashtra requires nearly 2,000 tons of medical oxygen daily while the state only produces 1,200 tons of oxygen per day. Health Minister Rajesh Tope says the state uses all of its oxygen for medical purposes, adding that no patient has died of oxygen starvation in a government-run hospital.
GOVERNMENT OF GOVERNMENT ON GROWING CLINICAL DEMANDS
According to the Union Ministry of Health, clinical oxygen demand has risen to 60 percent of production capacity and is set to increase as India battles the second wave of the pandemic.
Given the increased demand for medical oxygen, the central government decided on April 18 banned oxygen supply for many industries to meet hospital requirements.
Additionally, The Ministry of Railways rolls out ‘Oxygen Express’ freight trains transport liquid medical oxygen through key corridors. Green corridors will be created to allow these trains to move quickly.
Empty tankers will begin their journey on Monday from Kalamboli and Boisar train stations in and near Mumbai to load liquid medical oxygen from Vizag, Jamshedpur, Rourkela and Bokaro, the national transporter said on Sunday.
SUPPLY SHORTAGE PUSHES PRICE
According to the Ministry of Commerce, India exported twice as much oxygen in the first ten months of fiscal 2020-21 compared to the previous year. It did so despite the fact that India was the third largest nation affected by the pandemic for most of fiscal 2020-21.
With India seeing a surge in Covid-19 cases with the second wave of the pandemic, the increased demand for medical oxygen across the country has created an acute shortage. The combination of increased demand and supply gap has led to this life-saving resource being black-marketed.
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