Dismissing media reports about the shortage of oxygen cylinders, the government has said there is no such shortage in the country.
The data based on which the reports were run by the media are “old and incomplete”, said Nasima Sultana, additional director general (admin) at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), on Saturday afternoon.
At no hospitals or isolation units dedicated for treating coronavirus patients are there any supply shortage of oxygen cylinders, she added, while providing a 24-hour countrywide coronavirus update.
Japan-Bangladesh Friendship Hospital and Kurmitola General Hospital are the two hospitals dedicated for providing healthcare to coronavirus patients.
Kurmitola General Hospital has 450 oxygen cylinders, though there is no system of supplying oxygen there centrally, Mrs Nasima said.
As for Japan-Bangladesh Friendship Hospital, she said there are 120 oxygen cylinders and 12 manifold oxygen cylinders there.
The DGHS additional director general said all the upazilas in the country have a total supply of 10396 oxygen cylinders, while all the divisions, except medical colleges and specialised hospitals, have an overall provision of 13745.
Meanwhile, amid the coronavirus crisis, she said, the government has taken the initiative for buying 3050 oxygen cylinders and those will reach the country in the soonest possible time.
