HC: Ensure no deaths for want of O2

ABombay High Court bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish Kulkarni on Thursday ordered the Maharashtra government to ensure that not a single citizen in the state died for want of oxygen. The HC has also asked the state government to consider asking all private hospitals to become self-reliant in oxygen by setting up oxygen plants.

The bench was dealing with a clutch of petitions highlighting the Covid crisis in the state.

When the matter was called out for hearing, Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni submitted a note to the bench, which contained the steps taken by the state so far to handle this crisis.

Reading out the note, the AG told the bench that as per the allocation orders of the Union of India, the state must receive over 8 lakh vials of Remdesivir; however, only about three lakh-plus vials have been supplied till date.

“May be the manufacturers are under the impression that they can give the entire amount of vials at the end. But we don’t want it like this. We have asked for proportionate supply on a daily basis,” Kumbhakoni told the bench.

“We presently need at least 50,000 vials on a daily basis but we are getting only 35,000 vials,” the advocate general added. The AG further told the judges that the state had issued global tenders for Remdesivir and at least two lakh MTs of oxygen. He further informed the bench that it wasn’t getting up to the mark supply of essentials like Remdesivir or oxygen from the Union Government.

“We however, do not want any tussle with the Union Government as we are aware that they are also under pressure from other states,” Kumbhakoni said.

Further, the AG pointed out that as on date, the demand for oxygen in Maharashtra was 1,804MTs. He further highlighted the fact that the state had proposed to set up three jumbo Covid facilities near three industrial plants from where oxygen could be directly delivered to patients, instead of transporting it.

These facilities with a likely bed capacity of around 2,000 will be started near the JSW steel plant at Pen district, the Lloyd plant at Ward ha and the RCF plant in the city.

“I can say that as on date we don’t have enough but yes the demand and supply are neck-to-neck in our state,” the AG submitted.

Having heard the submissions, Chief Justice Datta pointed out that at an earlier hearing, the state had said it might need 2,000MTs oxygen soon.

“That could be in mid-Mayor later. But we are trying our levelbest to become self-reliant in producing ample oxygen to meet at least our own demand,” the AG responded.

To this, CJ Datta said, “We only know one thing: that people in Maharashtra shouldn’t die for want of oxygen. We are seeing in the media how people are dying in other states without oxygen.”

“We don’t want such a situation in our state. You (state) must ensure that not a single person in our state dies for want of oxygen,” the Chief Justice added.

To t his, the AG responded that the state wanted to create a buffer stock of oxygen in view of the expected third wave of the dreaded virus.

The judges further sought to know from the state on an affidavit about the time, money and space required to set up oxygen plants on the premises of at least private hospitals. The matter will be heard next Thursday.