Arifur Rahman Rabbi
Both the demand and prices of oxygen cylinders have marked up as the life-saving medical equipment is crucial for coronavirus patients with breathing difficulty.
In the last few days, many people were hunting oxygen cylinder from the market in the wake of a spike in the number of both coronavirus infections and deaths.
Coronavirus-infected patients and traders involved in the supply of the instrument said that the people are buying cylinders on their own due to scarcity of Intensive Care Unit, centralised liquid oxygen supply and beds in various hospitals.
There was hardly any demand for such medical oxygen before the COVID-19 pandemic started last year. If needed, the hospitals and clinics took the measures to arrange them for their patients in absence of central oxygen supply through a pipe.
Some businesspeople said that the demand for oxygen concentrator machine was rising in recent times due to the lack of oxygen cylinders on the market.
Patients and traders said a concentrator is very user-friendly as the user only needs to pour water into the machine, which in turn produces oxygen.
But an oxygen concentrator costs around Tk 35,000 to Tk 40,000 when an oxygen cylinder cost varies between Tk11,000 to Tk 30,000. Earlier, oxygen cylinder was sold between Tk 5,000 to Tk 7,000.
Taher Mridha, an official of a private company and COVID-19 survivor, said that he had been experiencing difficulty in breathing since the day of the COVID-19 attack. Fearing for his life, he went to different hospitals and could not get any bed vacant.
He later searched for various places and bought an oxygen cylinder at an exorbitant price, he added.
A youth, carrying an oxygen cylinder on a motorcycle on the Malibagh Flyover on Monday, said he bought it from the Bangladesh Medical Association building in front of Jatiya Press Club and refilled it paying Tk 300.
The data of the Directorate General of Health Services of the past few days showed that coronavirus infections have been rising in the country from the end of March.
With Tuesday's 7,213, the total number of infected people rose to 6,51,652.
Sixty-six people have died from COVID-19 on the day. With this, the total number of deaths reached 9,384.
The oxygen salespeople said that the Linde Group, Spectra Oxygen, etc have been involved in the business of cylinder oxygen in Bangladesh. Local companies, including Islam Group, have been involved in this business. But the cylinders mostly depend on imports.
Rising Enterprise owner Tasfik Hossain and Lotus Surgical proprietor Anowar Hossain Ripon, who deal in the oxygen cylinder at BMA building, told The Business Post that recently the demand for oxygen cylinders has ticked up. There are different types of oxygen cylinders on the market including Chinese and local.
The Chinese ones price ranges from Tk 11,000 to Tk 16,000. Besides, the price of a cylinder of Linde Company ranges from Tk 25,000 to Tk 30,000. In some cases, the prices fluctuate, depending upon the demand and supply, they added.
According to the website of Linde Bangladesh Limited, the company is selling an oxygen cylinder set at Tk 26,522.
A 1,400-litre cylinder costs Tk 16,100, oxitherapy set Tk 8,970, face mask Tk 161, nasal cannula Tk 104, and a trolley Tk 1,087, while for single oxygen refilling Tk 100 is charged by the company.
A 1,400-litre cylinder can be used for 10-11 hours continuously at the rate of 2 litres per minute.
To buy a cylinder from the company, one must bring a photocopy of the National Identity Card and a recommendation of a doctor stating that the patient needs 24-hour oxygen support.
One customer will be able to buy only one cylinder at a time. To get two cylinders or more, one must contact their territory officer or business head, according to their website.
In social media, relatives of many COVID-19 patients or who have severe difficulty breathing, are seeking cylinders.
Volunteers of a Facebook group "Songjog: Connecting People" posted that “We will refill the cylinder and deliver it to the people who need it at this time.”
Volunteer Imtiaz told The Business Post that demand for oxygen has increased over the past week and a half. The demand for oxygen cylinders has been seen to be around 7-8 per day.
Abu Musa, who advertised the cylinder on his Facebook page — Oxygen Cylinder Vara and Kroy Bikroy, is charging Tk 28,000 for a Linde Bangladesh oxygen cylinder set. Besides, he is selling cylinders of Chinese and local companies for Tk 16,500.
He is also renting out oxygen cylinders for Tk 500 per day but for the initial set up of the system he charges Tk 1000.
“If anyone tops up an oxygen cylinder from my company, I will charge Tk 1000 but a patient will have to give per day Tk 500 in rent,” he added.
Bangladesh Medical Instruments and Hospital Equipment Dealer and Manufacturer Association’s President Sharif Uddin Ahmed told The Business Post that oxygen concentrators are taking the position of oxygen cylinders, cashing in on the shortage of the old technology and spike in infections and deaths from coronavirus.
About the easy-to-use oxygen concentrator he said, “When water is poured into this machine, it is converted into oxygen.”
“And this machine will cost about Tk 35,000 to Tk 40,000,” he said adding that people's interest in oxygen concentrator is increasing though it is costlier than oxygen cylinder.
According to the World Health Organisation, one in five coronavirus patients need oxygen cylinder.
ARR/WI
