Mission Oxygen- Helping Hospitals Save Lives

“As Covid-19 rages, India gasps for breath” - Deccan Herald  

India has witnessed an unprecedented second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the last few weeks. The pandemic has claimed over 200,000 lives since the beginning, and the current active caseloads are over 3.5 Million. An estimated 700,000 people are currently in dire need of hospitalisation with oxygen including ICUs. 

This unparalleled crisis has brought us all together to cooperate and collaborate in order to prevent loved ones from leaving too soon.

#missionoxygen, an initiative that was started only a couple of weeks back aims to systematically address the on-ground issues with the intent to make oxygen supplies across different severities of use available in the shortest time possible. Mission Oxygen is run under the umbrella of DEMOCRACY PEOPLE FOUNDATION.

There are 3 key areas identified by the team at #missionoxygen:

1. Immediate Need: 10L/Min Oxygen Concentrators at healthcare facilities to cater to moderate cases of covid-19
2. HFNC (Hi Flow Nasal Canulas), and BiPAP machines from critical care as life-saving devices
3. Captive Oxygen Generation Plants in Tier-II cities to make hospitals self-sufficient when it comes to Oxygen supplies and doesn't run out of Oxygen during peak needs.

Oxygen Concentrators:

It is estimated that India currently requires over 300,000 Hi-Flow (>10L/min) and Low Flow (5-8 L/min) oxygen concentrators. Mission Oxygen itself has received requests for over 40,000 hi-flow concentrators from over 800 Hospitals across 20 States. Mission Oxygen has already procured and is in the process of distributing 6,000 Hi-Flow Oxygen Concentrators across India from its Phase I of fundraising that generated over Rs. 35 Crores (~USD 4.5 Million) from over 35,000 contributors across segments of society.

HFNC, and BiPAP Machines:

The team currently has requests from 5 states for over 500 HFNC and Bi-PAP machines that doctors have requested urgently as life-saving equipment for patients in critical care. Mission Oxygen has pledged Rs. 15 Crores from its Phase II fundraise to procurement and distribution of such equipment to the most urgent cases. Each life lost is too many.

Captive Oxygen Generation Plants:

Prior to the second wave, India was producing ~7,200 MT of concentrated oxygen. However, only 15% of it (1,080 MT was for medical use). As of May 7th, 2021 Delhi’s demand is 800MT/day, Maharashtra needs 1,600 MT/Day, M.P. needs 525 MT/Day just to mention a few states. Industrial oxygen is being diverted for medical use resulting in not only lives lost but also livelihoods lost in the industries that remain shut. 

#MissionOxygen has now committed to assisting public and charitable hospitals set up captive oxygen generation plants ranging from 15 Nm3/hr (Serving a 40-50 Bed Hospital) up to 100 Nm3/Hr (Serving a 500+ Bed Hospital) in Tier II and Tier III towns where the peaks are expected in subsequent weeks and are most heavily dependent on medical oxygen be transported from far-away production facilities.  

Our first project at Delhi’s Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital of 35 Nm3/hr has been commissioned within a record 10 days from order to commissioning.

Our immediate goal is to set up over 500 Nm3/Hr facilities across India's underserved urban centres to mitigate the loss of life.

#MissionOxygen has earmarked Rs. 30 Crores with a goal to set up over 1500 Nm3/Hr at ~100 facilities across India's underserved urban centres to mitigate the loss of life.

About Mission Oxygen

#MissionOxygen started on April 23rd, 2021 as a community initiative by a group of entrepreneurs to donate 500 Oxygen Concentrators with the help of contributions from socially conscious community members. That initiative today has swelled to contributions of over Rs. 35 Crore (~USD 4.5 Million), and has enabled the team to procure over 6,000 medical oxygen concentrators of 10L/min capacity, distribute over 1,000 Concentrators to over 100 public, private and charitable medical care facilities across India. The team expects to distribute all 6,000 concentrators between May 20th, and May 25th in record time and with unrelenting efforts of the community.

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The initiative has witnessed overwhelming support from over 35,000 good samaritans including icons, and celebrities such as Sachin Tendulkar, Shikhar Dhawan and Varun Dhawan.

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