Malaysia’s public hospitals are suffering from an oxygen shortage leading to thousands of deaths. Meanwhile, construction sites continue to utilise purified oxygen. Construction sites use oxygen for welding and flame-cutters. It is unacceptable that oxygen is being utilised in construction sites while people are suffocating to death on hospital beds.

The construction of luxury condos, highways and malls can wait because human life is worth more than the economy. Putrajaya must shut down all construction sites until the end of the year to reduce competition for purified oxygen for medical usage.

The transport and storage of oxygen for healthcare is similar to household cooking gas. The empty gas cylinders are collected to be refilled before being returned to the hospitals. A high output of purified oxygen is useless without sufficient oxygen cylinders to transport to the hospitals. The construction grade oxygen cylinders must be cleaned internally to remove impurities to become medical grade oxygen cylinders. This could be done within several hours with the correct equipment.

However, industrial oxygen supply for emergency services such as firefighters, the Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the Malaysia Civil Defense Force (APM) should not be disrupted. Emergency services use industrial oxygen for flame cutters to cut steel for human rescue operations such as road traffic accidents.

SHARAN RAJ
Central Committee
Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM)
&
State Secretary
Parti Sosialis Malaysia Negeri Melaka (PSM Melaka)