Kathmandu, May 9. The Ministry of Health and Population has requested gas manufacturing companies not to sell and distribute oxygen gas cylinders without Ministry’s recommendation.

Writing a letter to gas manufacturing companies, the Ministry requested them not to sell and distribute oxygen gas cylinders to any government and private hospital without Ministry’s recommendation in order to curb shortage of oxygen cylinders in treatment of COVID-19 patients.

The letter reads, “It is requested not to sell and distribute oxygen gas cylinders to any government, community and private hospital without Ministry’s recommendation as it is necessary to make sell and distribution of oxygen gas cylinders more systematic at a time when many corona virus patients are in need of oxygen gas in second wave of COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Ministry said that action would be taken against those oxygen gas manufacturing companies if oxygen gas cylinders are found sold and distributed without recommendation of the Ministry.

Minister of State for Urban Development Ram Bir Manandhar said the government was at work seriously to supply required oxygen amid COVID-19 pandemic.

“The government has taken all possible ways to control the crisis,” he said while carrying out monitoring today at Janamaitri Hospital in Balaju. Urging that big private hospitals across the country should be run as COVID-19 health facilities in emergency, he said that the government would provide economic and technical supports in the treatment of coronavirus patients.

The state minister also asked industrialists and traders not to consume oxygen for their business in such a grave situation.

The hospital is slated to operate a 30-bed corona hospital. Within some days, 120 beds along with an intensive care unit with 40 beds would come into operation, said hospital director Umesh Pandey. (RSS)