We cannot take Oxygen for granted in times of air quality crisis: Anand Gupta, CEO, MyOxy

From air pollution to the future of supplemental oxygen in India, Mr. Anand Gupta, CEO, MyOxy spoke exclusively to Sustainability Today.

“We’re committed to saving lives of people and empowering them by making clean, pure and fresh oxygen accessible anywhere at any time as first aid.”

– Anand Gupta, CEO, MyOxy

Q. What motivated you to come up with MyOxy?

A. Traditionally, medical oxygen was only available in hospitals in India and not for day-to-day use. In fact, we started manufacturing medicinal oxygen and supplying it to hospitals for over 28 years now. However, in the current scenario where air pollution levels have been increasing exponentially and respiratory ailments are on the rise, availability of pure oxygen has become a necessity. We realized this importance and developed MyOxy products with the objective of providing oxygen with ease to those experiencing breathlessness due to any reason. The idea is to improve the healthcare system in the country and make oxygen available – Anytime, Anywhere!

If we talk about air pollution, it has led to a public health crisis, much to the misery of old people and children. Doctors say that one in every four children in Delhi suffer from irreversible lung damage. Immediate oxygen needs have become increasingly common. Therefore, our endeavor has been to develop complete home care supplemental oxygen solution to ensure ease of use, portability and high medicinal quality.

Q. In what circumstances do MyOxy products prove to be lifesaver?

A. Oxygen is indispensable in the human life cycle as it is a carrier of blood in our body. When oxygen levels drop, it poses a major risk to major organs due to paucity of oxygen. Our products restore oxygen levels in the body, which in turn helps to improve brain and body functions, thus proving to be life saving.

MyOxy is useful in curbing breathlessness caused due to pollution, high altitude, smoking, stale air and poor ventilation. It is also used in the first-aid care in case of an emergency, preventing salvaging peoplefrom slipping into severe health conditions or even fatalities.

Q. What is the USP of MyOxy’s product line-up? What makes you unique in the medicinal oxygen segment?

A. MyOxy product line caters primarily to the home care segment. Our products are convenient to use and its ergonomics user-friendly, and can be easily used in home settings without hassle by patient themselves or their attendants. Our aim is to bring about a shift in the outlook that oxygen for breathing can be available only at hospitals. 

Medicinal oxygen segment requires a high standard of services and we at MyOxy strive to deliver the best quality products that are standardized. Therefore, our products provide oxygen I.P (99%) in a completely safe, leak proof, lightweight, easy to carry and disposable can. They are approved by FDA and manufactured under a valid drug license strictly adhering to Indian pharmacopoeial standards.

Q. Oxygen cans as an essential part of first aid kits is a very novel and intriguing idea. What would it take to convince people to foresee its emergency use and adopt it?

A. The key concept behind MyOxy is to make oxygen available to end users anytime anywhere. They certainly form a critical part of first aid and it isn’t feasible to carry large oxygen cylinders every time. Our products are compact in size and weigh less than cell phones which makes it extremely convenient to use in any setting and a must-have for first aid kits.

For those suffering from any respiratory ailments, keeping these cans with them 24*7 would prove to be immensely beneficial as they wouldn’t have to worry about running out of oxygen in emergency situations. Even in case of a health emergency where patients have to be rushed to the hospital, our oxygen cans could prove to be a life- savior by minimizing internal damage..

Q. What is the biggest challenge in making people aware of the critical importance of MyOxy products?

A. In India, people don’t recognize the need for medicinal oxygen at the moment as they undermine the detrimental health impacts of breathing polluted air.  The lack of consumer knowledge about portable oxygen also makes it hard for them to identify what identity, quality, strength and purity of oxygen is fit for human consumption. For instance, it’s hard for a layman to understand the difference between industrial and medicinal oxygen and the correct way of using each. Industrial Oxygen is typically used in welding, cutting etc. as it’s ideal for combustion; while medicinal oxygen as we all know is largely used in Hospitals for medical purposes.

There are also many low-quality and non-medicinal products available in India at the moment. Thus the first and foremost challenge is to make people realize its importance and encourage them buy only medicinal grade oxygen.

Q. Tell us more about one of your unique effort to make high altitude breathing easier for travellers at the Leh airport?

A. MyOxy is revolutionizing how medicinal grade supplemental oxygen is being made available to people in need. In high altitudes, many people experience breathlessness and condition of some even become severe. Keeping this in mind, we established MyOxy Counter in arrival hall at Leh airport with the help of Airport Authority of India. All tourists who arrive at Leh by air are not acclimatised and face severe breathing problems as they adapt to the environment.  Our products can come in extremely handy for these tourists to deal with problems posed by high altitudes like hypoxia, cold, severe dehydration etc. Recently, we also received the support of J&K government to establish MyOxy counters for Sri Amarnath yatra pilgrims to support them during their journey.

Q. What is your message to those who take the problem of air pollution lightly?

Air Pollution is a silent killer and we, as individuals, have little control over the external environment. But we need to adapt our lifestyle and make ourselves strong internally to face such situations. In such circumstances, everyone should take oxygen therapy for short durations at home by use of oxygen cylinders or concentrators. It will be helpful in supporting lungs and to fight against odds of external environment.

We all remember the time when bottled water didn’t make any sense. But now people appreciate and realize the importance of quality mineral water. We can sense the same for Air. We’re committed to empowering and saving lives of people by making clean, pure and fresh oxygen accessible anywhere at any time as first aid. Oxygen is everywhere but either less in amount or polluted. Why not carry your own ‘MyOXY’.

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