Amid the fear of coronavirus in the state, the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College and Hospital (FAAMCH), Barpeta will undergo shortage of oxygen as the Meghalaya Oxygen Private Limited and Premier Cryogenics Limited will close the supply of oxygen from March 20.

Both companies said that they will not supply oxygen to the two hospitals as the government is yet to pay a huge amount of money to the companies.

The companies said that if they don't receive the pending money by March 20 then they will not supply oxygen to the hospitals. The GMCH is yet to pay Rs. 2.53 crores and Barpeta Medical College has to pay Rs. 59 lakhs to the Meghalaya Oxygen Private Ltd. while Premier Cryogenics has a pending amount of Rs. 2.26 crores from GMCH.

However, there will be a necessity of ample number of oxygen cylinders in the hospitals amid the fear of covid-19 as isolation wards have been kept ready at the hospitals as a preventive measure to combat the disease.