To cope with the rising demand of medical oxygen, the Indian Air Force has been pressed into service to airlift oxygen tankers and cylinders in different parts of the country.
Hospitals in Madhya Pradesh, which is in the grip of a second wave of Covid-19, are facing an acute shortage of oxygen. Several cities like Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur are worst affected by the virus. To meet the demand of oxygen, IAF will airlift oxygen tankers and cylinders directly from Gujarat's Jamnagar to Indore.
Earlier on Tuesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had directed all the defense establishments to set up more Covid-19 hospitals, use emergency powers and bring in retired personnel to tackle the crisis.
Madhya Pradesh reported as many as 12,384 new cases of Covid-19 infection in the last 24 hours, pushing the positivity rate to 24.2%.
The IAF has already airlifted oxygen containers, cylinders and essential medicines in different parts of the country. “The IAF transport fleet is supporting the fight against Covid-19. Airlift of medical personnel, critical equipment, and medicines is underway for Covid Hospitals and facilities across the country”, the IAF tweeted.
Meanwhile, the government is planning to procure oxygen from neighbouring and friendly nations to tide over the crisis. Reports say that the government will import oxygen generation plants and containers from Germany to meet the demand of medical oxygen.
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