In South America, the pandemic hits Peru hardest after Brazil. To make matters worse, oxygen supplies for ventilators in the poor country are running out. And speculators are driving up prices.
The queue extends to the end of the block. Dozens of people wait until it’s their turn, everyone has a green gas bottle next to them. In the shop on a busy street in the south of the Peruvian capital Lima, a scarce commodity is sold: oxygen.
Only Brazil suffers more from Corona in South America
“I buy oxygen for my grandmother. She is 86 years old and has Covid-19“says Luis Gustavo Laupa Neira while he waits for his bottle to be filled.” We give it oxygen so that it can heal faster. “90 fillings cost him a filling, that is about 23 euros. Relatives like Laupa Neira have to have the gas filled by private companies and bring it to the clinic Most hospitals do not have enough oxygen to supply all intensive care patients.
Peruvian Luis Gustavo Laupa Neira stands with a face mask next to an oxygen bottle in front of a shop where the bottle is to be refilled. (Source: dpa)
Peru has hit the corona pandemic hard. With over 270,000 infections identified, the country ranks second in Latin America after Brazil. More than 9,000 people have already died of Covid-19 lung disease.
The population is too poor to stay at home
The Andean government has imposed very stringent exit restrictions to stop the spread of the Sars-CoV-2 virus. However, many people in the poor country simply cannot afford to stay at home. Around 70 percent of the working population in Peru is employed in the informal sector – that’s a lot, even by Latin American standards. And there is no home office for shoe cleaners, garbage collectors, flying traders and day laborers.
The situation is now exacerbated by the fact that Peru is running out of oxygen. Patients who are seriously ill with Covid-19 must be supplied with the gas additionally or even artificially ventilated. “Because of the corona pandemic, demand has risen sharply,” says Nicol Romero from OxiRomero Group in San Juan de Miraflores in southern Lima. “Before, we filled 40 to 50 bottles a day, now it’s between 120 and 150.” The offer has not increased significantly, however, and there is also a duopoly in Peru. “Two companies control around 90 percent of the oxygen market,” says Romero. “There is no real competition, which exacerbates the problem.”
Peru wants to increase production
In view of the supply shortages, the Peruvian government recently declared oxygen to be an “element of national interest”. According to media reports, the South American country produces just 20 percent of its medical oxygen needs. Now production in Peru is to be increased and imports are to be increased. The government made the equivalent of around 23 million euros available by decree.
Andean hospitals are not only struggling with a lack of oxygen, there is often a lack of medical equipment. (Source: Agencia EFE / imago images)
Many people with severe Covid 19 symptoms have little chance without additional oxygen. “The lungs are damaged in two ways: firstly, the virus directly attacks the lower respiratory tract, and secondly, the body fights the virus with so much force that the lungs can be damaged,” doctor Elmer Huerta said in the newspaper recently “El Comercio”. “Oxygen is fundamental for patients who are hospitalized for Covid-19.”
The Peruvians go to financial limits for their health
Moisés is also in line. He wants to buy oxygen for his father, who has Covid-19. “He needs two to three bottles a day,” says the man. Supplying his father with oxygen will cost him a lot of money. Many families get into debt or sell their belongings. “Even the oxygen bottle was very expensive. I paid 5,000 soles (1,200 euros) for it,” says Moisés.
If the lives of their relatives depend on it, many Peruvians are willing to pay any price for a gas bottle or an oxygen fill. This has brought a lot of windy dealers to the scene. “It is unfortunate that unscrupulous people are taking advantage of this plight to gain a personal advantage,” Peru’s President Martín Vizcarra said last. At Diserval, the cubic meter continues to cost 15 soles (€ 3.80). The largest gas bottles can hold ten cubic meters. “There are people who speculate on oxygen, so we only fill up one gas bottle per person,” said managing director Hugo Valdivia on the RPP radio station.
Luis Alberto Basallo Montalvo of the Criogas company in the Callao port district also observed the speculation with the coveted good: “Unfortunately, this happens. Many talk about supply and demand, but under these circumstances – when people’s lives are at stake – you should I think leave that aside, “says the entrepreneur.
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