About 650 tons (70.4 percent) of the additional oxygen supply are to be imported, while the remaining 272.9 tons (29.6 percent) are to come from increased additional national output.
By
kompas team
·4 minutes read
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The government has asked industrial businesses to increase oxygen production to meet the sharp increase in demand following the surge in new Covid-19 cases in recent days. The government also plans to increase its stockpile of oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, and other medical equipment through imports and assistance from neighboring countries.
Data from the Industry Ministry shows that the national oxygen supply currently stands at 2,622.9 tons per day. The government and local producers aim to increase the oxygen supply by an additional 922.9 tons per day from the current national output of 1,700 tons per day.
About 650 tons (70.4 percent) of the additional oxygen supply are to be imported, while the remaining 272.9 tons (29.6 percent) are to come from increased additional national output.
The national supply will continue to be increased to meet the surge in demand for oxygen on Java and Bali, which had increased to 2,323 tons per day as of 6 July 2021. The Health Ministry expects the nationwide oxygen demand to increase further by 71 tons every three days.
“This [supply] figure will be raised again after the government’s import commitment and plan to increase production at domestic industries are realized. We will mobilize all available resources, including funding by reallocating the Industry Ministry’s budget," Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said in an official statement on Friday (9/7/2021).
Foreign assistance
Separately, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut B. Pandjaitan said that as many as 30 oxygen concentrators had arrived in Indonesia on Friday (9/7). The devices are among the 10,000 oxygen concentrators the government has purchased from Singapore under an intergovernmental scheme.
In addition to oxygen concentrators, the government also plans to purchase seven oxygen generators and 36,000 tons of oxygen within the next 30 days. "So, not just donations, but there are also medical devices to be purchased by the government," said Luhut.
Foreign assistance for medical equipment has also come from Singapore and Australia. In addition, the United Arab Emirates has sent 250,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine.
Crisis
Amid the government’s plan to increase the national oxygen supply, hospitals in a number of regions have reported a shortage of oxygen. The hospitals asked for immediate distribution of oxygen as the number of Covid-19 patients requiring supplemental oxygen continued to increase. An adequate supply of oxygen is vital to patient care and survival.
In Rembang, Central Java, president director Bobet Evih of Bhina Bhakti Husada Hospital said the hospital had only 1,900 liters of oxygen left on Thursday morning (8/7). “We need 3,000 liters per week. [The current stock] may only last the next three to four days to treat patients in 60 beds," he said.
In some hospitals, the availability of oxygen is really worrying, and could run out in a few hours.
Hadi Susanto, the head of the Indonesian Red Cross in Solo, Central Java, also reported an oxygen shortage in the region. “This morning, I received calls from several doctors. In some hospitals, the availability of oxygen is really worrying, and could run out in a few hours,” he said.
Arjawinangun Regional General Hospital and Sidawangi Lung Hospital in Cirebon regency, West Java, have temporarily stopped accepting patients who need supplemental oxygen due to a shortage of oxygen.
According to Sidawangi lung hospital spokesman Maman Surahman, distributors were no longer able to supply oxygen. "We don\'t know how long [the closure will last]," he said.
Indonesian Hospital Association secretary-general Lia G. Partakusuma said that many hospitals had reported an oxygen shortage. "Indeed, there are many complaints about the oxygen supply, especially [from hospitals] in Central Java," he said.
Deputy Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono revealed that existing supplies of oxygen, especially for the island of Java, were insufficient to meet the surge in demand. Oxygen production in Java was around 1,400 tons per day, while the oxygen demand on Java and Bali had reached 2,620 tons per day. “There is a shortage of 700 tons per day. The oxygen donated by Tanoto Foundation to help meet the surging demand will be very useful,” he said.
On Friday, Tanoto Foundation donated 500 tons of medical oxygen for distribution to hospitals from Riau to Jakarta. (AGE/IKI/ETA/NDU/ERK/AIK/SKA)
(This article was translated byHendarsyah Tarmizi).