Daily Times

KARACHI: If the Pakistan Steel Mill Oxygen Plant were running, it would be able to provide oxygen to hospitals in Pakistan today; it was the views of Pakistan Steel employees and workers’ union leaders.

Pakistan Steel employees and workers’ union leaders have urged the government to reactivate the Steel Mills oxygen plant. They said that in the current situation, the demand for oxygen can be met all over Pakistan by activating the Pakistan Steel Oxygen Plant and it will help to end the black marketing of oxygen. It may be mentioned here that due to the worsening coronavirus situation in the country, the hospitals are seeking more oxygen cylinders to treat the growing number of Covid-19 patients.

As per details the plant, which was shut down in 2015 when it was fully functional, the reason of closure given was why oxygen is needed when steel is not being made? This plant has the capacity to produce 520 tons of pure oxygen daily. An employee of the PSM told that the 40 engineers and workers used to work on the oxygen plant were removed from their jobs. The workers claimed that the oxygen plant can be made fully functional with in ten days on a war footing and can meet the oxygen demand of the whole country.

While the National Engineers Welfare Association (NEWA), is a platform for engineers in Pakistan, has already written a request letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan to utilize Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) oxygen plant which can fill 25,000 cylinders per day.

Spokesperson of PSM told Daily Times that it cannot be functional in this stage because the plant needs capital repair adding that this plant may be helpful but right now it requires huge capital. “If the future management will make the Oxygen plant commercialize of PSM”.

People say that it is high time let’s open the PSM so it can finally help citizens of Pakistan in some way. Most steel mills like Agha steel have oxygen plants and are currently selling any surplus to hospitals so why not PSM?

Zameer Ahmed Malik, an Advocate shared on his twitter account that it is for those of you who wanted to shut down Pakistan Steel Mills, today if given opportunity it can produce oxygen cylinders more than the current production capacity of entire country.

Noman Tabani, an Entrepreneur shared on his twitter account that Pakistan Steel Mills & many other steel mills have functioning oxygen plants that can be used in emergency to cater to lives in Pakistan should the Covid-19 third wave gets out of hand.

While Daily Times contacted to Executive Director ‎Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) Dr. Seemin Jamali said that I cannot comment about it.

On other hand Oxygen producers warned that at the moment, bulk of the oxygen being produced in the country is being supplied for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. An official of Pakistan Oxygen Limited, said almost hundred percent of the oxygen produced by Pakistan Oxygen Limited is being supplied to the healthcare facilities due to the rapid increase in its demand after a surge in deadly virus cases.

Hospitals may face shortage of oxygen in the coming days as we are producing at our maximum. Oxygen produced in Pakistan is used for both treatments of respiratory illness as well as in shipping, welding, and other industrial purposes.