Oxygen shortage: Jalandhar hospitals feel the heat

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 22

With around 400 Covid cases being recorded in the district almost daily, hospitals have started facing the shortage of oxygen supply. Some experts have already begun predicting a collapse of health services within a month if the shortage of oxygen supply is not addressed.

There is a huge scarcity of oxygen due to which we have stopped taking patients who need high flow oxygen. Of the required 150 to 180 cylinders per day, we are getting merely 80 to 100 cylinders. We don't know where the supply is drying up but oxygen is critical for the Covid level-3 patients.—  Dr Chander Bowry, Medical Director, Bowry Memorial Education Trust

A majority of private hospitals said with the current inflow of patients and the oxygen supply in proportion to that, they were on the brink of discontinuing their level 3 services. On the other hand, the district administration said a slew of measures had been taken, officials deputed and appeals to the state government made to ensure oxygen supply in the district.

Dr RPS Chabra, Director, Armaan Hospital, said, “There is a severe shortage of oxygen. We have referred three serious patients on Wednesday night because we did not have the requisite amount of cylinders to treat them. We are falling short of 10 to 20 cylinders per day. We have a plant which generates 60 cylinders per day. And we need about 70 to 80 more. Last night we had left only 10 cylinders. Instead of 70 to 80 extra cylinders we need, we are getting only 20 or 30. That’s not enough. We have 18 level 3 beds of which 14 are occupied. Level 3 patients can’t be treated without ample oxygen. To prevent deaths, we will have to refer critical patients if we keep falling short.”

Dr Chander Bowry, Medical Director, Bowry Memorial Education Trust, said, “There is a huge scarcity of oxygen due to which we have stopped taking patients who need high flow oxygen. Of the required 150 to 180 cylinders per day we are getting merely 80 to 100 cylinders. We don’t know where the supply is drying up but oxygen is critical for the Covid level 3 patients. Without ample oxygen, we cannot risk lives by taking in serious patients. The fear is that in coming weeks the situation might get more serious.”

Sources said another dilemma faced was that it took at least four to six weeks to set up a new oxygen plant. Also an oxygen contractor could provide four to five litres of oxygen but high flow oxygen patients require at least 10 to 50 litres.

Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said, “For the past 10 days, hospitals are being instructed to set up plants by the administration preempting the oxygen crisis. They have also been asked to set up concentrators. We have 50 different officers deputed at various places to make sure that no oxygen goes to unauthorised agencies. Yesterday also, we strongly raised the issue during the VC. And the state government has told us they are in turn raising the issue with the Centre. Jalandhar is in a much better stage compared to many other states. We are even keeping a strict check on no unauhtorised cylinders should be routed to industries.”

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