Pakistan may face oxygen shortage, warns producers as COVID-19 third-wave sweeps the country

Oxygen producers have warned that Pakistan may face a similar situation like India which is struggling with the shortage of oxygen gas for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

An official of Pakistan Oxygen Limited, an oxygen producing company, told The News that 100 percent of oxygen produced by the company is being supplied to the healthcare facilities due to an increase in its demand as Pakistan battles the third coronavirus wave.

"If cases continue to rise, hospitals may face shortage of oxygen as we are producing at our maximum capacity," the official added. The official added that oxygen produced in the country is used for both treatments of respiratory problems as well as in the industry.

"The industrial sector is still being supplied oxygen at the moment and if demands increase, authorities would have to cut the oxygen supply to industrial sector or we may face the situation like India also," the official further said.

Representative of Multan Chemicals Limited, Muneeb Khan Babar also shared similar fears, adding that oxygen producing sector was under stress and if the demand for oxygen from the health sectors increases, they will have to curtail the supply to the industrial sector.

However, the official shared that Pakistani oxygen producers were capable of meeting the domestic requirements if they worked at their maximum capacity and were facilitated by the authorities.

The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) data on Friday showed that 4,652 COVID-19 patients were on high and low oxygen throughout the country.