The defence ministry on Friday decided to airlift 23 mobile oxygen-generating plants from Germany for use in military hospitals amid an acute shortage of the gas in several states grappling with a massive surge in Covid cases.

The plants are expected to reach within a week.

Several states, including Delhi and Maharashtra, have sought immediate help from the Centre while some hospitals have moved the high courts to ensure oxygen supply for critical patients.

An acute shortage of oxygen has caused several deaths in Delhi and other states.

The Delhi government has also decided to airlift oxygen tanks from Odisha to ensure enough supply of the gas to hospitals in the capital.

The decision to airlift 23 oxygen-generating plants came four days after defence minister Rajnath Singh announced the granting of emergency financial powers to the chiefs of the three services to make necessary procurement to enhance medical infrastructure in view of the pandemic.

Defence ministry spokesperson A. Bharat Bhushan Babu said the imported plants would be deployed at the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) hospitals treating Covid patients.

“Each plant has a capacity to produce 40 litres of oxygen per minute and 2,400 litres an hour. At this rate it can cater to 20-25 patients round the clock,” Babu said.

The AFMS hospitals are straining under an increased load of serving personnel and retired veterans.

A retired brigadier of the Indian Army died of Covid-related complications while on his way to Chandigarh from Delhi on Wednesday night after being allegedly denied admission in the capital’s hospitals, including the army facility.

Sources in the defence ministry said no civilian was currently admitted in the army’s Base Hospital in Delhi as all the beds were occupied by serving personnel, veterans and their dependents.

The defence ministry had on Monday directed the cantonment general hospitals maintained by the cantonment boards across the country to extend all necessary medical assistance and services to all patients even if they were not cantonment residents.