 Many COVID-19 patients are facing breathing trouble in the second wave of the pandemic and they are in dire need of external oxygen support. Tamil Nadu is also experiencing a shortage of oxygen at present. The state has a better public healthcare system compared to many other states in India. But currently more than 33,000 patients are being admitted per day due to the severity of the COVID-19 infection. According to the statistics of the Department of Health and Family Welfare of the government of Tamil Nadu as of 17th May 2021, government hospitals hold 79,161 beds including with the support of oxygen, non-oxygen and ICU in the state. Of these 67,191 are occupied and the remaining 11,970 are vacant. But in reality, even in Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, ambulances can be seen standing in line because of the unavailability of beds. On May 2, 13 patients admitted to the government hospital in Chengalpattu district died because of coronavirus infection. The relatives of the patients accused that the death was caused due to the shortage of oxygen. But the hospital management denied the claim. Following this, the relatives of the patients protested in front of the hospital after the protest, the district collector assured them of forming a commission to investigate the issue. Similarly, as per a report in Vellu district, four people died in April due to the problems in oxygen supply. Recently, the new Tamil Nadu CM has placed a request to Prime Minister Modi demanding 500 metric tons of oxygen supply per day. Since the demand is increasing, after this, the central government increased the supply from 220 metric tons to 419 metric tons per day. From all these incidents, it is clear that there is a shortage of medical oxygen in Tamil Nadu. But the transparency of the state on deaths caused by the shortage of oxygen is questionable here. Regarding this issue, news click spoke to the public health activist Dr. Kasi. What we face today is not the creation of the COVID alone. And at the end of the first wave, so-called first wave in our country, we should do a prepared ourselves for the second wave, number one. And we have failed to implement a lot of programs expecting the need for the people in the health sector. Particularly, we have not made any concrete investments in the public health sector, including building hospitals or building oxygen plants, building and producing more equipment like ventilators and other things. We have failed to build over that. We have failed to utilize the period of lockdown for creation of such an investment and infrastructure in the health. Death only made us feel sorry about today's situation. That's why we are facing the crisis today. What I mean is, and whatever they have made was in the previous year, last year, whatever arrangements they have made was all temporary. In some, most of the places they have, not only in Tamil Nadu, throughout India, they have dismantled the makeshift hospitals and other COVID beds, other things. I'm claiming it is almost over for one country. That's not true. And number two, and as far as Tamil Nadu and Kerala are concerned, we are already working with the available oxygen as far as medical oxygen is concerned. We have enough number of plans to produce oxygen. But what happened? It matters right 100 times to the times we are facing the crisis. And also, one point I would like to make. Since we have not invested in public sector industries, now we are not able to get the industrial oxygen converted to medical oxygen. And because there's a difference between industrial oxygen and medical oxygen, industrial oxygen is not pure. Medical oxygen should be pure and it should not lead to complications when we use for patients. So in this industrial oxygen, every industry is some point of time, they will use oxygen, they will produce oxygen, they are capable of producing. But since we have not built the public sector companies or factories, we are now facing the crisis. We are not able to get enough oxygen support from the private sector. That's why we are facing the problem now. So I can say oxygen is very, very vital for patients, people. The public sector companies and factories are like oxygen for the country. That's what is demonstrated now. Now what to do? Now what they are doing? Particularly the central government, total failure on the part of the central government. How? There are two things. Only they are not, even the important committee has to be set up by the Supreme Court. They have not formed any committee, important committee or anything like that, compressing the important bureaucrats and politicians and ministers of concerned department. They should have formed it much earlier to diffuse the crisis, to assess the need and preparedness of the industries to supply oxygen. That's one thing. Number two, we have failed in distributing. We have not created anything for the network, we have not created any PAKA network for distribution of medical oxygen. And liquid medical oxygen has to be carried in specific containers in specific way, with scientific, with all protections, needed protections, that is not there. And also, from the liquid oxygen plants, it has to be carried in small cylinders, which is also not good numbers with us. So, total mismanagement or unpreparedness only is reflecting now. So, because of this, only the Delhi, states like Delhi, where there is no oxygen production is there from the industrial side, they are suffering. And from other states only, we have to supplement. And even now, the central government is not distributing the oxygen in a transparent way. Even today, every day, they are coming out with piecemeal information about the production and distribution. And they are not telling the, in total, this much is coming input is there, this much we have distributed, this much we have keeping as a reserve, this much we will expect. So many things they can put it in the public domain, but they are not doing it. And even they are allotting the money from the PM cares, which is another question for transparency. So, how much they allot and how much they are in PM cares, nobody knows. The ADMK government in the last, for the last six months, they almost, they forgot about COVID, I can say. And they were very busy with the alliances and other things and mopping up operations in all departments. And that's what I have told you at the beginning itself. I know, dismantle a lot of COVID care centers. They should not have done that. And people like our doctors from demanded all this COVID infrastructure should be maintained at least for one year more. We all demanded, but they did not hear us for that. That's why they could not make any immediate response. But they make the crisis, face the crisis in the past. Not only government hospitals are facing difficulties, but private hospitals too are in a similar situation. But contrary to the government hospitals, private hospitals are not taking patients in despite the availability of beds, especially those in the high-risk category. The reason they stayed is the lack of medical oxygen. They even direct patients admitted at their hospitals to government medical colleges when their health becomes critical. The new Tamil Nadu Health Minister, Mr. Subramaniam, has ensured that appropriate action will be taken against such hospitals. Despite the assurance from the government, these things are still happening even today. The upcoming days will show how the situation will be.