Electricity outage seen behind oxygen shortage

KABUL (Pajhwok): Long queues of people seen in front of oxygen producing companies in capital Kabul shows the high level demand for oxygen in the country.

Oxygen is used by coronavirus patients when they face problem in breathing in hospital or at home.

During the first wave of coronavirus pandemic, people faced with lack of oxygen but after one year the problem remained unresolved. President Ashraf Ghani had earlier said the oxygen shortage issue should be resolved through a specific plan in collaboration with private sector.

People standing in lines in front of oxygen producing companies in Kabul say oxygen is vital for their patients but they have to wait to get their number for filling the oxygen cylinder.

Rohullah, whose mother is struggling with breathing, has come to get oxygen from the Maihandost Company in Kabul’s Bagrami area.

Referring to the long queues of consumers, he said: “All these people have patients at their homes. They are not allowed to go inside the company but those who have reference they are offered 10 to 20 cylinders.”

Yousuf, another consumer who got oxygen from Khurasan Company, said: “You can see that one vehicle fills 20 to 30 oxygen cylinders and people coming with 30 cylinders are not asked.”

ZalmaiReshteen, head of the Afghan-Japan Hospital, said the shortage of oxygen is nation-wide issue. “We bring 200 cylinders from Jalalabad and oxygen producing companies do not provide oxygen to the hospitals in time.”

He added electricity outage has direct connection with oxygen supply, adding that if electricity supply is ensured, 600 cylinders could be filled in an hour otherwise generator’s electricity could fill 300 cylinders in two hours.

nh/ma

Views: 99