The Ministry of Health and Population has decided to import 20,000 empty oxygen cylinders of from China to prevent a shortage of oxygen cylinders in the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

Ministry spokesperson Dr Jageshwar Gautam said the cylinders would arrive from China next week.

He said that there was no shortage of oxygen in the country but there was a problem due to lack of cylinders. "We don't have a shortage of oxygen," he said, "but the lack of cylinders makes it difficult for patients to get oxygen."

The ministry has instructed hospitals across the country to be in a state of readiness to manage the distribution of oxygen.

The ministry has requested hospitals and the public not to hold empty cylinders. Oxygen plants are currently connected to 30 hospitals across the country in Nepal. Hospitals have a combined capacity to fill 2,549 cylinders daily, the ministry said.

Liquid oxygen tanks have also been installed in some hospitals. Such hospitals have the capacity to fill more than 6,000 cylinders and oxygen vendors can fill 8,000 cylinders daily. RSS