A drive-through COVID-19 screening center in Java, Indonesia, operated by Hyundai Motor Co., checks people for viral infections, in this photo provided by the South Korean carmaker on April 24, 2020.
SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean companies are extending assistance to Indonesia, which is facing a severe shortage of medical oxygen amid an explosive COVID-19 surge.
Hyundai Motor Co. presented the idea that it can directly produce medical oxygen through its automobile assembly plant located in Delta Mas City, Bekasi on the outskirts of Indonesian capital Jakarta with a relatively modest investment of US$600,000 to upgrade facilities, and launched a drive to realize the idea.
By adding some devices to existing equipment such as compressors and dryers, Hyundai can extract medical oxygen from compressed air and store it in an oxygen tank.
Starting from last next month, Hyundai plans to churn out 40 tons of medical oxygen every month and provide it to neighboring hospitals for free through the Bekasi government.
Hyundai also plans to donate $200,000 worth of medical oxygen tanks and mobile oxygen generators to the Indonesian government.
South Korea’s steel giant POSCO, which runs a steel mill in Cilegon on the island of Java, also has been donating 20 tons of liquid oxygen every week to local hospitals through the Jakarta provincial government starting from two weeks ago.
Steel mills use oxygen to operate furnaces.
Taking it into consideration that Indonesian hospitals are struggling to manage the onslaught of new patients, POSCO decided to donate its oxygen by keeping its own inventory for emergency preparation at the lowest level possible.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
