A day after they threatened to stop the supply of oxygen to Government Hospitals in Assam, medical oxygen vendors said that they will continue supplying oxygen after the state government gave them the assurance that all dues would be cleared within a week’s time.
A major crisis has been put on hold for the time being as the oxygen vendors alleged that they had not been paid, with their outstanding amount running into Crores. In a letter to the Director of Medical Education, Meghalaya Oxygen Private Limited, one of the oxygen vendors in Assam, stated that they did not receive any payment in the last two years. This aggregates to an outstanding amount of Rs 3.77 crore.
They added that if the government does not clear the outstanding dues, the company will not be able to supply any oxygen further, starting from November 1. Further, Premier Cryogenics Limited, another vendor in the state has not received payments of around Rs 2.65 crores.
This incident comes a few months after the tragedy in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, in which at least 60 children had died due to the alleged lack of oxygen supply in government hospitals. However, following a verbal assurance from the government, Meghalaya Oxygen Private Limited wrote a letter to the health department confirming that they will continue with the medical oxygen supply, as per their contract, to the government hospitals including Guwahati Medical College and Hospital.
Officials from the state health department, on the other hand, have assured that there is nothing to be worried about and that the matter has been taken care of.
