French Oxygen Giant Diverts Supply to India’s Overwhelmed Hospitals
- Air Liquide says situation in the country becoming ‘dramatic’
- French firm is looking to import supplies from the Middle East
A health worker wheels an oxygen canister in a Covid-19 hospital set up inside a stadium in New Delhi on April 23.
Photographer: Anindito Mukherjee/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
French gas giant Air Liquide SA is diverting oxygen supplies for industrial clients in India to hospitals as the country is overwhelmed by a surge in Covid-19 patients.
Air Liquide is sending most of its liquid oxygen output to the health-care sector and is looking to import additional supplies from the Middle East, Executive Vice-President Francois Jackow said Friday. Demand for medical oxygen in India has soared roughly 10-fold, or by more than 50% of the country’s total production capacity, he said.