Amid fear of a third wave of Covid-19 and several announcements made by the Central government about new oxygen plants being installed, The Daily Guardian has accessed exclusive information based on an RTI. As per the information, it has been claimed that there are more than 1,000 oxygen generation plants that have been installed under PM-CARES funds in every district of the country.
From the information, it is not clear, however, whether the government means over 1,000 oxygen generation plants in each district of the country or it is the total stated number across the entire country, in which case the numbers would be inadequate on the ground.
Information was sought under RTI by civil rights activist Prafful Sarda who had asked about funds allocation state-wise for medical oxygen plant and medical oxygen supply and generation from 2004 till date (03/05/2021) for each state and Union Territory across India. A response from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of Government of India says, “As per Medical Education Policy Section of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is concerned in respect of PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) plants, it is informed that total 1,222 PSA oxygen generation plants were installed under PM-CARES fund in every district of the country.” However, no information was provided on the details of funds allocation for the same.
In the RTI, Prafful Sarda had raised questions on the numbers and execution of the same on the ground. The question that arises is, however, whether so many oxygen plants per district exist on the ground in reality. If 1,222 plants have been installed per district, then pan-India, it amounts to 8,77,396 PSA oxygen plants, but if it’s in all 1,222 pan-India (that is, one or more in each district), then it’s extremely less in terms of numbers, given the horror and deaths Indian faced during the second wave of Covid-19.
Prafful Sarda said: “The third Covid-19 wave is about to hit and we need to be more prepared as we are a nation of 135 crore people and we can’t afford to make the same mistake again. We are aware of how hundreds of deaths happened nationwide during the second wave because oxygen was in short supply. This time, ahead of anticipation of a third wave, it’s important that real numbers of oxygen plants actually function on the ground, rather than being merely on paper.” The April-May Covid-19 peak triggered an unprecedented shortage of medical oxygen across the country, leading to many deaths.