Minister Of Health Budi Gunadi: Oxygen Demand Increases Rapidly From 400 Tons Per Day To 2,000 Tons Per Day

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi (Photo: kemkes.go.id)

JAKARTA - Over the past few days, the need for oxygen has increased 5 times. This increase is in line with the recent craze for new cases of COVID-19 patients.

"The need for oxygen has indeed increased very rapidly from the previous 400 tons per day, up almost to 2,000 tons per day," said Health Minister Budi Gunadi in a virtual press conference broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube, Friday, July 16.

Budi explained that the government had a strategy to fulfill the oxygen demand by using the access capacity of domestic factories and industries in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry.

"There are 240-250 tons per day that we can use from domestic industries," he said.

In addition, he continued, the Ministry of Health is also trying to optimize the strategy of using oxygen concentrators, namely small devices.

This tool uses electricity and can be used at home or in hospital beds for oxygen supply.

"This can be used for oxygen with a capacity of 10 liters or 5 liters per minute so that it is enough for an isolation bed," he said.

He said the government plans to buy around 20,000 to 30,000 oxygen concentrators that can provide around 600 tons of oxygen per day for hospitals treating COVID-19 patients. oxygen day for hospitals. And we can lend it to people in need," he said.