Telangana Health Minister Etala Rajender today said that there was no shortage of medical oxygen, required for the care of critical Covid-19 patients, in the state.
Talking to the media, the minister said, "The amount of oxygen we are acquiring on a daily basis far surpassed the current day-to-day demand of the state's health sector. Where 270 tonnes of oxygen is required, we get 400 tonnes every day so that we can cater to the needs of the patients in the state efficiently. The Centre has been providing an adequate amount of oxygen to our state and we have made all the necessary arrangements to acquire oxygen from other states as well. Further, government hospitals will soon get oxygen plants as the Centre has already stated. Therefore there is no reason for the public to panic about any oxygen shortages."
He also flayed the private hospitals in Telangana, alleging that the state government had been receiving many complaints about the high prices being charged by them for Covid-19 treatment, and warned, "People in need should not get looted by private hospitals in the name of treatment. The prices of all Covid-19 related services have already been fixed by our government, and these must be strictly followed by every private hospital. Failure to do so will result in severer punishment."
To further assuage the fears of the people of the state, Rajender added, "There is no need to panic. We have an adequate supply of oxygen and vaccines. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has already said that all the people will get
vaccinated free of cost. We are taking many steps to curb the spread of the disease. Please cooperate with our efforts - practice Covid-appropriate behaviour and get vaccinated as soon as you can."
The minister's announcement comes at a time when the state's case tally is at an all-time high. Yesterday, the single-day tally of fresh cases crossed the 10,000 mark for the first time when 10,122 new cases were recorded. 52 fatalities were reported as well.
Rajender has consistently been
denying all claims about the shortage of any treatment facilities in Telangana.