Jakarta (ANTARA) - State-owned fertilizer company PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) said it has distributed 286 tons of medical oxygen for COVID-19 patients since July 2021 to support the Indonesian government's efforts to secure oxygen availability in the country.
"We will gradually continue to distribute the oxygen supply. Our holding company is still distributing oxygen assistance to various areas according to government directions," deputy president director of PT Pupuk Indonesia, Nugroho Christijanto, said in a press release issued on Saturday.
The fertilizer company delivered 271.8 tons of oxygen while its subsidiary Pt Pupuk Sriwidjaya transported another 15 tons of oxygen to Lampung, he added.
The distribution of the oxygen aid began in July 2021 for COVID-19 patients admitted in several hospitals in Central Java, Yogyakarta, Jakarta, East Java, West Java, Bandung, and Balikpapan, Christijanto said.
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The oxygen was distributed by members of the Pupuk Indonesia holding -- PT Petrokimia Gresik in Central Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java, PT Pupuk Sriwidjaja (Pusri) Palembang in Jakarta and Bandung, PT Pupuk Kujang in West Java, and PT Pupuk Kaltim in Balikpapan, he informed.
Of the total 271.8 tons of oxygen distributed by Pupuk Indonesia, Pupuk Sriwidjaja Palembang provided 159.9 tons, Petrokimia Gresik 114 tons, Pupuk Kujang Cikampek 11 tons, and Pupuk Kalimantan Timur 1.8 tons, Christijanto said.
"We are ready to help the government so that the hospitals that are referred to for treating COVID-19 patients are not hampered by supply. We also welcome any parties who can help provide ISO tank trucks to distribute the oxygen we produce," he added.
Earlier, the Ministry of Industry had urged related industry sectors to convert 80 percent of industrial oxygen into medical oxygen to help meet the national need for 575 thousand tons amid a spike in COVID-19 cases.
The oxygen supply is mostly being distributed to areas witnessing high oxygen demand, such as Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, Banten, and Bali.
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