Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday for 1,471 tonnes of oxygen and two lakh Remdesivir doses.
The CM made this request to PM Modi during the prime minister's video conference with chief ministers of 10 states, where coronavirus cases have exploded.
"The state needs 1,142 tonnes of oxygen from April 25 and 1,471 tonnes of oxygen after April 30. The chief minister appealed to the Prime Minister to rectify the shortage of oxygen and immediately allocate 1,471 tonnes of oxygen," the Chief Minister's office said in a statement.
Yediyurappa said 500 tonnes of oxygen was used on Thursday.
With the positivity rate rising to 16 per cent, CM Yediyurappa apprised PM Modi of the prevailing situation in Bengaluru.
"Bengaluru city is worst affected with a massive number of cases being reported from Tumakuru, Ballari, Mysuru, Hassan and Kalaburagi districts due which the demand for Remdesivir injection has also spiralled," he said.
"While the state is careful that there is no dearth of Remdesivir injection, the Chief Minister appealed to the Prime Minister to supply two lakh doses of Remdesivir in the next 10 days," the statement said.
Last evening, the chief minister decided to order Covishield vaccines worth Rs 400 crore. CM Yediyurappa added that the progress of the vaccination programme is good and 82 lakh people have been inoculated so far.
On the medical infrastructure front, the chief minister told PM Modi that steps were taken to develop infrastructure in the last six months. The state has directed private hospitals to reserve 50 per cent of their beds for Covid-19 patients.
The government has permitted private hospitals to use nearby hotels as step-down hospitals while plans are underway to set up field hospitals with ICU facilities, Yediyurappa told the Prime Minister.
According to the Chief Minister's office, the Prime Minister emphasised reforms of the healthcare system.
Underlining the need to enforce preventive measures to avoid unnecessary hospitalisation, the Prime Minister asked the states to prioritise adequate and moderate use of oxygen.
"PM Modi advised that oxygen should be audited in all states to prevent misuse. He also suggested that state governments should facilitate the smooth flow of oxygen tankers," the statement said.
For the judicious usage of oxygen and Remdesivir injection, the Prime Minister asked the states to control the anxiety among people, the statement read, adding Modi asked states to rope in retired personnel to contain coronavirus cases.
Karnataka had recorded 25,795 new cases and 123 deaths on a single day on Thursday.
(With inputs from agencies)