Local Oxygen manufacturers have taken steps to temporarily suspend the supply of Oxygen to the Medical Supplies Division from yesterday (29) due to non-payment of bills.

Two companies are currently involved in the local manufacturing of Oxygen. One company has informed the State Pharmaceutical Corporation that the supply of oxygen will be suspended as each company is due to receive Rs. 290 million from the government.

Due to the recent outbreak of the pandemic, steps were taken to obtain more Oxygen for emergencies. The stamdard daily oxygen requirement of Sri Lankan hospitals was 22 Metric Tons and the demand increased to 140 Metric Tons due to the fourth wave of the pandemic.

Currently, 600 COVID19 patients across the country are dependent on oxygen and the required oxygen level is estimated at 38 MTs. In addition to the local manufacturers, the government also imported oxygen from foreign suppliers in the past few weeks.