Manufacturers asked to keep 50 oxygen for medical use in Guj

    Ahmedabad, Nov 29 (PTI) Amid a fresh rise in COVID-19
cases in Gujarat, the state health department has again
directed oxygen production units to keep 50 per cent of their
production for medical use so that it could be easily made
available to hospitals treating coronavirus patients.
     The state health department on September 10 also
issued a similar notification.
     In its new order dated November 26, issued under
various sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act and the Disaster
Management Act, the department has directed oxygen production
units to keep their production uninterrupted and at their
maximum production capacity.
    The units have been directed to produce 50 per cent
oxygen for medical use, to be supplied to hospitals in
Gujarat, and divert the remaining for industrial use.
    The units have also been asked to give priority to
supply oxygen to hospitals as compared to industries, in case
the need arises.
    The order remains in operation till December 31, said
the notification
     A similar notification issued in September was
effective for a month, and was not revised as the number of
COVID-19 cases at that time came down.
    Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration
Commissioner H G Koshiya earlier said the demand for medical
oxygen reduced in October as compared to September.
    The oxygen consumption stood at 135 ton per day in
October, compared to 240 tons per day in September, he said.
    This happened during the period when the number of
COVID-19 cases witnessed a decline in the state.
    However, in the recent weeks, the state has seen a new
surge of COVID-19 cases, which has led to an increase in the
use of medical oxygen in hospitals treating such patients.
    The state reported 1,598 new coronavirus cases on
Saturday, taking the tally to 2,06,714, as per official
figures. PTI KA
GK GK

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)