COVID-19: SC-appointed National Task Force holds first meeting on oxygen audit & supply

A 12-member National Task Force constituted by the Supreme Court to ensure the delivery of medical oxygen throughout the country held its first meeting on Sunday, May 9.

Members of the Task Force include Bhabatosh Biswas, former vice-chancellor of West Bengal University of Health Sciences, Kolkata; Devender Singh Rana, chairperson of Board of Management, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi; Devi Prasad Shetty, chairperson and executive director of Narayana Healthcare in Bengaluru; Gagandeep Kang, professor, Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore in Tamil Nadu, among others.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and Union Secretary (MoRTH) Giridhar Aramane were also present in the meeting. As per court orders, few experts can be co-opted into the team. Accordingly, V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog; Randeep Guleria, Director AIIMS, New Delhi; Balram Bhargava, DG ICMR and Secretary (DHR); and Sunil Kumar, DGHS, Ministry of Health, were present as special invitees in the meeting.

All members of the National Task Force commended the efforts of various Central ministries and departments in augmenting oxygen production capacities as well as in ensuring its efficient distribution in the country.

The members also provided specific suggestions to further increase oxygen production, its availability, managing the demand and parameters on which health facilities could ensure prudence in using medical oxygen amid crisis. The National Task Force decided to continue its deliberations to arrive at specific recommendations.

The apex court had constituted the 12-member National Task Force of top medical experts on Saturday to form a method for distribution of the life-saving gas to states and Union territories to treat COVID-19 patients and to facilitate a public health response to the pandemic.

India's Coronavirus crisis

With the unprecedented surge in Coronavirus infections, India is currently facing a shortage of medical oxygen, besides hospital beds and anti-viral drugs. India on Sunday recorded 4,03,738 fresh COVID-19 cases, which pushed the tally to 2,22,96,414, according to the Union health ministry. The death toll climbed to 2,42,362 with 4,092 daily deaths.

Registering a steady increase, the active cases have increased to 37,36,648, comprising 16.76% of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 82.15 per cent.