Oxygen firms accused of intimidating Mexican hospitals during pandemic

Hospitals received letters threatening large fines after they installed their own onsite O2 plants in response to shortages

In March 2020, Benjamin Espinoza Zavala saw an entire floor of his small hospital in Guanajuato, central Mexico, converted into Covid-19 wards. The hospital's need for oxygen soared.

Deliveries from CryoInfra, part of the Grupo Infra group, occasionally slowed to once every couple of days, and he had to buy in extra to cover the sudden gaps in supply. Prices increased.