Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday assured that India has an adequate amount of medical oxygen, adding that the Centre is also looking for other options to augment the supply of the life-saving gas.
The health minister said the Centre is mobilising medical oxygen from the industries and abroad by making available storage tankers and cryogenic tankers.
"Oxygen was available in adequate quantity earlier also & now it is being made available from many sources -- by mobilizing it from industry & abroad & by making available storage tankers & cryogenic tankers," Dr Vardhan told ANI news agency on Thursday.
Amid the huge backlash faced by the government on the shortages of oxygen gas in the hospital, the health minister said "Right information regarding oxygen is very crucial". He urged people not to rush to hospitals as a result of panic reactions. "Those who need oxygen should get it but it's not right if someone thinks he/she needs oxygen, due to lack of knowledge," Dr Harsh Vardhan added.
According to the health mister majority of the Covid-19 patients can recover at home while being in touch with the doctor. "I am not saying this just as the health minister but also as a doctor," he added.
Further, the health minister underscored that the Centre allocated vaccines to states as per their performance in terms of vaccination. "We have given more than 16 crore doses of vaccines to states out of which more than 15 crores doses have been administered. That means over 1 crore doses are still left with states," the minister added.
Since the beginning of vaccination, not a single day has passed when states were not given vaccine doses as per their capacity, Dr Vardhan claimed.
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