Production & Supply of Medical Oxygen: Kerala Model of Pandemic (Covid-19) Management

Abstract The second wave of COVID-19 severely hit the country, India. Many hospitals, across the country, faced acute shortage of medical oxygen. However, a small state in southern part of India, the State of Kerala, has been highly successful in managing production & supply of medical oxygen. In spite of highest daily confirmed COVID-19 cases & escalated demand for medical oxygen, the State efficiently managed to have sufficient medical oxygen to meet its own demand and supplied excess to needy neighbouring States (Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu). The author tries to identify success factors that having a key role in uninterrupted production & supply of medical oxygen to meet unprecedented increase in demand across the State of Kerala during the pandemic (COVID-19). The study involved a detailed analysis of secondary data. The data was collected from various (offline & online) platforms such as newspapers, news portals, reports, websites etc. The early preparedness, visionary investments (for infrastructure development), effectual monitoring (of production, supply & consumption of medical oxygen), effective communication (among all stakeholders) and continuous coordinated collective efforts (of Oxygen Production Units, the PESO Kerala, the Hospitals, the State Health Department and, the State Government) are the key success factors. The State has been highly successful in managing production & supply of medical oxygen, across the state, during uncertain time of COVID-19 and thus, stood as an exemplary for rest of the country.