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ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar on Thursday said that the Ministry of Industries has held a meeting with major oxygen producers to ensure the supply of oxygen to hospitals on a priority basis.
In a Tweet, the minister said that it has been decided in the meeting to ensure the supply/redirect of oxygen to Healthcare on a first-priority basis.
“Three additional oxygen plants in the private sector will also be coming in production within the next 2 weeks,” he added.
Earlier on June 8, the federal government decided to provide 1,000 additional beds with oxygen facility across the country, of which Karachi will get 200.
Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar tweeted: “Of the additional 1,000 hospital beds with oxygen which will be ensured by the federal govt in June in major cities at least 200 will be added in Karachi.”
The World Health Organization head had yesterday said that the world faces a shortage of oxygen concentrators as the number of worldwide cases of coronavirus infection nears the 10 million mark.
“Many countries are now experiencing difficulties obtaining oxygen concentrators,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference. “Demand is currently outstripping supply.”
The new coronavirus has hit 9.3 million people and killed more than 480,000 so far and is rising by about 1 million cases per week. This has pushed oxygen demand to 88,000 large cylinders per day, or 620,000 cubic metres of oxygen, Tedros said.