It is heartening to see that the government is diverting oxygen for industrial use to hospitals, and must be commended for understanding what the priority is at this juncture -- which is to save as many lives as possible.
With demand for oxygen having increased by 40% in comparison with the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, it was absolutely necessary to make such a decision so as to keep the oxygen supply in hospitals uninterrupted, even more so because a large proportion of the oxygen we receive comes from India, which is dealing with its own crisis of oxygen shortage.
However, while this is a wise and timely decision, the fact remains that the people in Bangladesh remain vulnerable, and lives are being lost daily due to a lack of adequate medical facilities. To that end, as we attempt to secure our oxygen supply, we hope that the authorities concerned are also planning ahead, and devising ways in which the country will be better equipped to deal with Covid-19.
This means we must be pro-active in not only establishing more health care facilities and ensuring that we have a steady supply of oxygen for the foreseeable future, but also do a better job of making sure that all Bangladeshis, regardless of their position in society, are able to access these facilities in the case of an emergency.
Too many lives are being lost daily that could have been avoided if we were better prepared. Yes, the government has taken the right decision in prioritizing oxygen supply for hospitals, but many more such decisions are required for Bangladesh to successfully fight Covid-19.
