In 2023, Zaporizhstal Iron and Steel Works donated 767 tons of medical oxygen to Ukrainian hospitals free of charge.
According to the company, Zaporizhstal produces medical oxygen at the VRU-60 air separation unit in the oxygen compressor shop: atmospheric air is purified, compressed and separated into components. Zaporizhstal’s oxygen has been certified by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine for use as a medical drug since 2021. Since the start of shipments, the plant has supplied nearly 6,500 tons of oxygen to more than 100 hospitals in 17 regions of Ukraine.
Due to the full-scale war in Ukraine, the volume and geography of oxygen supplies have significantly decreased, but have not stopped. On average, Zaporizhstal shipped 64 tons of medical oxygen per month in 2023 at the request of medical institutions. The total amount of medical oxygen supplied to hospitals during this period amounted to 767 tons. The largest consumers were Zaporizhzhia city hospitals, the clinical hospital of emergency and ambulance services, and the children’s hospital.
Medical oxygen is intended for oxygen therapy in conditions accompanied by oxygen deficiency: respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, surgical operations, etc. In particular, oxygen therapy is used to treat the acute respiratory disease COVID-19 caused by the SARSr-CoV coronavirus. During treatment, one ton of oxygen covers the needs of about one hundred patients.
“Zaporizhstal is one of the largest industrial enterprises in Ukraine, whose products are in great demand among consumers both in the domestic market and in many countries around the world.
“Zaporizhstal is in the process of integration into Metinvest Group, whose major shareholders are System Capital Management PrJSC (71.24%) and Smart Holding Group (23.76%).
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
PrJSC Severodonetsk Azot, part of the group of nitrogen business enterprises Group DF, is preparing to produce oxygen for medical use and has already submitted the necessary documentation package to the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health.
“All organizational issues related to permits must be resolved as quickly as possible. The region has a difficult epidemic situation with COVID-19,” the Group DF said in a Tuesday press release, quoting Board Chairman of Severodonetsk Azot Leonid Buhaev from a working meeting with Head of the Luhansk Regional Administration Serhiy Haidai.
The company said that it has already received a license from the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drug Control for the production and sale of oxygen for medical use.
According to the release, the production capacity of the air separation workshop is 500 cubic meters of oxygen for medical use per hour. According to Haidai, with the resumption of production of medical oxygen at Azot, the region will be fully provided with the necessary number of cylinders for the treatment of seriously ill patients with COVID-19.
Severodonetsk Azot is one of the largest Ukrainian chemical enterprises. It has been part of Dmytro Firtash’s Group DF since 2011. The core business of the enterprise is the production of mineral nitrogen fertilizers.
State-owned enterprise (SOE) Zorya-Mashproekt (Mykolaiv) under a request of medical institutions of Mykolaiv city in relation to a threat of spreading the coronavirus disease COVID-19 has resumed production of medical oxygen halted early 2020 over the absence of demand, the press service of the Ukroboronprom state concern, which incorporates the enterprise, said on Friday.
The state concern said that the enterprise has all the necessary equipment for the production of oxygen and for many years provides its own needs with technical oxygen for welding.
Zorya-Mashproekt promptly responded to the request from doctors and invested its own funds in the supply of medical oxygen, since the certification production conditions require the introduction of certain measures to control the quality of medical oxygen. Zorya-Mashproekt can produce more than 50,000 cubic meters of medical oxygen per year, which is the most important for the country in these days. Now, we are looking for equipment for uninterrupted operation,” the press service said, citing Director of Zorya-Mashproekt Denys Hordienko.
The company said that in order to use it in the future and ensure uninterrupted operation of the medical oxygen line throughout the entire period of the pandemic, it is necessary to purchase backup equipment.
Currently, tender documents are being prepared for the purchase of a hygrometer, which, according to Ukroboronprom, will cost the company about UAH 200,000. Certification activities for the line are tentatively estimated at a similar amount.
