VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia needs 2,500 tons of oxygen per day to meet soaring demand amid an exponential spike in COVID-19 cases, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said.

"Our daily oxygen requirement stood at 400 tons before the Eid al-Fitr festivities, and now (it) has climbed to 2,500 tons. Meanwhile, our production capacity is 1,700 tons per day," he informed at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Monday.

Every 1 thousand oxygen concentrators can produce nearly 20 tons of oxygen per day, he added.

"The donation of 17 thousand (oxygen concentrators) has begun to arrive (in Indonesia). We plan to buy 20 thousand (oxygen concentrators) that we will distribute to all hospitals with isolation rooms. Thus, patients in dire need of oxygen can inhale oxygen produced by the oxygen concentrators," Sadikin said.

He expressed the hope that the arrival of oxygen concentrators would reduce the need for procuring oxygen cylinders in large quantities.

The second strategy to meet the country's oxygen requirement is utilizing the extra production capacity of domestic oxygen manufacturers, he said.

"It is true, we must use liquid oxygen for hospital ICU rooms since their oxygen requirement every minute is high. To offset the lack of oxygen need, we will utilize the extra capacity of domestic oxygen producers and the extra production capacity of other companies producing oxygen, such as steel nickel and fertilizer producers," he added.

The excess oxygen will be distributed to all provinces across Indonesia, he said.

"Once again, may we distribute the oxygen to all hospitals in the country. We also would like to express gratitude to social organizations and neighboring countries for their oxygen assistance to Indonesia," he remarked. (Antaranews)