An invaluable service

Abul Khair Group has come forward to ease the oxygen crisis by supplying a bulk amount of oxygen to hospitals for free to support coronavirus patients in Chattogram.

The business conglomerate has been supplying oxygen since May 12.

Three hospitals, which are treating Covid-19 patients, have been receiving oxygen cylinders from the group. It is also providing oxygen to law enforcement agencies and defence organisations, among others.

Imrul Qader Bhuinya, senior manager of AKS plant at Shitolpur from where the oxygen is being supplied, told The Daily Star that they have come up with the decision when they came across reports on people dying in want of it.

"As we have a plant for producing oxygen for industrial purpose, we thought we could produce medical-grade oxygen by setting up some extra equipment," he said.

The AKS plant authorities had to buy 300 large cylinders to carry those oxygen to hospitals. Currently they are supplying oxygen to General Hospital, Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, and Chattogram Field Hospital.

Sheikh Fazle Rabbi, civil surgeon of Chattogram, told this newspaper that they would have to face a dire situation, had AKS not supplied oxygen for free. "This is really commendable… We hope every big conglomerate will come up with such help," he said.