Devki Steel Mills Group has secured a loan of Sh327.75 million to finance its initiatives aimed at fighting Covid-19 pandemic which includes supply of oxygen cylinders to hospitals.
The Steel firm owned by city billionaire Narendra Raval said some funds were deployed to provide free oxygen cylinders at a time the country was in dire need of oxygen supply.
“We chose oxygen cylinders because we saw that many hospitals were in dire need of oxygen used to facilitate treatment for Covid-19 patients.
"Our plants in Mombasa, Ruiru and Athi River remain open to hospitals and clinics who need free oxygen," Raval said in a statement.
This comes a day after the Health Cabinet Secretary, Mutahi Kagwe, called on Kenyans who are hoarding the much-needed cylinders to immediately release them to the government and avert the looming crisis.
“There are about 20,000 oxygen cylinders out there in homes and other institutions which are required back in the industry immediately. I appeal to all Kenyans to return oxygen cylinders immediately so that companies can use them to supply oxygen to hospitals,” he said.
Speaking to the press, CS Kagwe revealed there is a serious shortage of cylinders and the high cost of purchasing the few remaining in the market.
“These cylinders are expensive and the international market is currently squeezed. Supply is a problem. Each cylinder costs about Ksh. 40,000. To replace them would require a lot of money." he said.
The CS said demand was hovering around 880 tonnes from 560 tonnnes in January and 410 tonnes last year.
“The situation at the moment is that the (gas manufacturing) industry is completely stretched. If we go any further than that, immediate steps will have to be taken,” Kagwe said.
The Ministry of Health is in talks National Treasury to have taxes exempted for the supply of oxygen gas cylinders.
“We are working with the National Treasury at this moment because of the emergency nature of the requirement for oxygen to see whether we can increase the supply of oxygen cylinders via reduction of some taxes,” he added.
Kagwe also urged both the county and national government hospitals to fast-track the setting up of oxygen piping infrastructure in the wards to avoid situations where a single oxygen gas cylinder is used to take care of one patient at a time.
