CEBU, Philippines — Demand for oxygen for medical use in Cebu has increased in the past three weeks, about the same time the number of COVID-19 cases in the island started rising anew but a manufacturer who spoke with The Freeman said it cannot be determined exactly if the demand is caused purely by the resurgence of coronavirus cases.
“The demand has doubled than that of last year at the height of the pandemic,” said Dr. Kirby Chua of MEPZ Mixed Gases Corporation.
There are three main manufacturers of medical grade oxygen in Cebu and the two other companies, Linde Philippines (South), Inc. and SUGECO-Cebu, have the same observation.
Chua said they are working double time to meet orders, which are coming from both hospitals and private individuals.
He assured, though, that supply can still cope with demand, the same assurance made by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-7 Director Maria Elena Arbon, Department of Health (DOH)-7 Director Jaime Bernadas, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regional field supervisor Rica Reina Aumentado.
Aside from monitoring supply, the three departments also assured constant monitoring of the movement of prices of medical grade oxygen to avoid unscrupulous individuals who may take advantage of the situation.
The three Cebu-based manufacturers said they can produce between 600 to 800 cylinders a day based on current cylinder holdings and labor force. They can reportedly increase production to 200 percent when necessary.
There are also four other smaller manufacturers in Cebu and another one in Bohol.
Arbon said that there is no need to panic as there is more than enough oxygen supply as MGO producers are maintaining a range of four to 14 days inventory levels during normal times and not counting the unused capacity.
Arbon said it is when fear takes over when people would succumb to panic buying, which would result to artificial shortage and hoarding.
The Price Act as amended by RA 10623 punishes hoarding with imprisonment for a period of not less than five years but not more than 15 years, and a fine of not less than P5,000 but not more than P2 million.
Bernadas, for his part, has cautioned the public on the “danger of home use of medical oxygen without supervision of doctors and the storage hazards”.
VSMMC
Meanwhile, dispelling information circulating, the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) said it has enough supply of oxygen.
“Be assured that VSMMC is not experiencing any shortage of oxygen supply from its supplier and from its own oxygen generation plant,” said Dr. Gerardo Aquino, Jr., the hospital chief.
He said the hospital’s supplier provides VSMMC with 700 tanks of oxygen daily.
“We have oxygen slots in the patient areas. We have also a backup supply from our supplier anytime, if needed,” Aquino said.
Aquino said the diversity, synergy, and agility of VSMMC was tested more when COVID-19 pandemic came.
“We continue to develop, implement, and adopt new ways to operate and many of these changes have accelerated positive transformation in the delivery of quality healthcare service amidst this deadly virus,” Aquino said.
Regulation
At the provincial Capitol, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia issued an executive order regulating the sale of medical oxygen in Cebu Province.
Garcia said there is a need to regulate the sale because panic buying might cause shortage of medical oxygen.
“There is a need to immediately regulate the sale by manufacturers and dealers of medical oxygen so that the same may only be sold to hospitals and or person/s who are in real need of them,” reads part of the Executive Order No. 36.
With the order, manufacturers and dealers of 50 kg medical oxygen "shall only sell the same to the hospitals.”
Private individuals can still purchase but with limitation.
“Private entities or individuals may buy Medical Oxygen from the manufacturers and dealers upon presentation of a doctor’s prescription and will be limited only to 20lb tanks and up to maximum five (5) tanks per entity or individual,” the EO reads.
Trucks hauling and transporting medical oxygen are exempt from the truck ban implemented in the province. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon, Le Phyllis F. Antojado, JMO (FREEMAN)