South Kalimantan Provincial Government Stops Selling Oxygen To Industry, Diverts It To Hospitals

PHOTO: ANTARA

BANJARMASIN - The Provincial Government of South Kalimantan stopped the supply of oxygen sales for industrial needs and diverted all distribution for medical needs in all hospitals.

Acting Governor of South Kalimantan, Safrizal ZA, said that currently the sale of oxygen to industries supplied by the company was temporarily suspended, because it was entirely to meet medical needs in hospitals.

"People cannot buy oxygen individually, except for those who have received a doctor's recommendation, so there is no need to look for oxygen because it is not sold," he said, quoted by Antara, Monday, July 26.

The need for oxygen in South Kalimantan, he said, has increased in recent days along with the increasing number of people infected with COVID-19, who are being treated in private and government-owned hospitals.

The oxygen brought in by companies that received quotas, he said, was directly distributed to hospitals and paid for by the provincial government, partly by the Ministry of Health's assistance.

The oxygen filling system to meet the needs in South Kalimantan is carried out in two ways, namely gas filling which can be carried out by one company in South Kalimantan with a capacity of 600 tubes per day.

Another way is through filling liquit whose ingredients must be imported from outside South Kalimantan.

To ensure that oxygen distribution runs smoothly, Safrizal and the Oxygen Task Force monitor directly to several oxygen distribution locations.

Safrizal and his team also monitored oxygen stocks in a number of company warehouses, including monitoring the unloading process at the Banjarmasin Trisakti Container Terminal.

"Indeed, the current demand for oxygen in hospitals is quite high, therefore the regulation must be monitored closely," said Safrizal when monitoring the arrival of liquid oxygen.

One of the oxygen companies in South Kalimantan Province supplied 56 tons of liquid oxygen transported in three tubes through Banjarmasin's Trisakti Port.

The transportation process at the Banjarmasin Trisakti Container Terminal was also witnessed by KSOP Banjarmasin, PT Pelindo, fleet owners and members of the South Kalimantan Province Oxygen Task Force and other related parties.

"Monitoring is in order to ensure that the oxygen distribution chain and supply lines are all smooth, there are no administrative obstacles. The distribution process is also prioritized, especially for liquid oxygen imported from outside South Kalimantan," said Safrizal.

Previously, one gas company also allocated 2,200 oxygen cylinders for medical needs in hospitals, especially for handling COVID-19 patients in South Kalimantan in anticipation of a surge in demand.

The company has two filling stations in South Kalimantan, namely in Tanjung, Tabalong Regency with a production capacity of 300 tubes per day. Then in Batulicin, Tanah Bumbu Regency also 300 tubes per day.