BHEL steps up to COVID-19 challenge, starts oxygen supply to hospitals

On Sunday, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd said that the company has started supplying oxygen to several hospitals, aiming to save the life of patients battling against the coronavirus. 

The state-run company is using its manufacturing plans in Bhopal and Haridwar to supply oxygen to hospitals in nearby areas. Currently, India is gasping for medical grade oxygen, as over 300,000 Covid-19 cases are getting reported on a daily basis. 

The step from BHEL will fuel India’s fight against the second wave of Covid-19 that is appearing to be way more drastic than the first one. The supply of medical grade oxygen to hospitals may help in saving the lives of hundreds of patients. 

In an official statement, BHEL said that its plant in Bhopal is supplying over 6,000 cubic meters of oxygen gas daily to hospitals in the city. On Friday, the Bhopal plant supplied 975 cylinders. 

Meanwhile, BHEL is upgrading its facility in Haridwar so that the company can supply 16,000 Cubic Meters of oxygen per day for medical use. It is aiming to supply 2200 cylinders a day, far more than its current capacity of 700 cylinders per day. 

BHEL is supplying oxygen from captive oxygen plants installed in these two sites to meet the demand. The company is now working on creating oxygen production capacity at its other units. 

Besides BHEL, companies such as ITC, Reliance and Tata Motors are also ramping up their oxygen producing capabilities to help India fight the battle against Covid-19.