Steel company supplies oxygen to treat COVID-19 patients hinh anh 1An oxygen refilling station at VICASA Steel JSC in Dong Nai province (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Several steel companies owned by the Vietnam Steel Corporation have been supplying oxygen and oxygen cylinders for free to medical facilities to meet the rising demand for treating COVID-19 patients.

Three companies in the south have been instructed by the corporation to work with local health departments to supply oxygen, cylinders and other equipment to help fight the pandemic.

One of them, VICASA Steel JSC in Dong Nai province, has been refilling oxygen for free at the Thu Duc Field Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai Department of Health, and it is likely to rise to 100 cylinders of 40 litres per day.

It has also lent 175 cylinders to various hospitals.

The Southern Steel Company Limited in Ba Ria – Vung Tau province has lent nearly 200 40-litre cylinders to a local medical centre and Thu Duc city’s Le Van Thinh Hospital.

The Thu Duc Steel JSC in HCM City has supplied 150 cylinders to Le Van Thinh Hospital, and set up a refilling station to support mobile medical units that can provide 300 cylinders a day.

The Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association has been calling on businesses to donate oxygen to medical facilities and 400 mobile medical stations.

Other steel businesses across the country are also setting up refill stations or are prepared to supply large quantities of oxygen when needed.

HCM City has been the COVID epicentre with more than 309,000 cases since the fourth wave began a few months ago.

It is currently monitoring more than 100,000 patients in hospitals or at home.

Demand for oxygen for treating patients is on the rise, with the rate of patients needing oxygen being around 9.5 percent on average in the country, according to the Ministry of Health.

The Air Force has been instructed by the Ministry of National Defence to maintain oxygen production to supply HCM City hospitals./.
VNA