Running low, Jalandhar private hospitals gasp for oxygen

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 23

The district Civil Hospital ran out of oxygen supply for the first time late last night. SOS calls were made to the suppliers, leading to provisioning of oxygen early today. Similarly, a number of private hospitals have said they are on the brink of exhausting their supplies.

A letter by the DC on April 19 to the Punjab Health Systems Corporation MD says of the 3,500 oxygen cylinders required in Jalandhar every day, 500 are being sent out to Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr. Jalandhar can only produce 2,400 cylinders from two plants.

Designated supply ensured

Of 2,200 cylinders generated in city, 400 are sent to other districts. The remaining have to be divided equally among private hospitals. Designated supply has been ensured. Officials have been deputed at processing units to eliminate foul play. — Ghanshyam Thori, DC

As the number of patients grows in city hospitals, the district needs a 16 MT tanker of liquid oxygen from outside to meet its demands, says the administration. To add to this, the district has at least 27 patients referred from outside the state, including Delhi, Himachal, Haryana and Jammu.

Private hospitals warned that lack of oxygen was driving the city’s health system to the brink of collapse.

Dr BS Johal, proprietor of Johal Hospital, submitted to the DC and the Civil Surgeon he was referring five of his patients to the Civil Hospital due to lack of oxygen.

“I had 47 patients on oxygen support with six hours of supply left this afternoon. We can’t let our patients die. There was no option but to refer them. Against the quota of 65 cylinders a day, we need 170 to 180. After the letter, we were allotted 100. We still need strict rationing. We have a clear crisis on our hands,” he said.

Dr Johal has 55 Covid beds, of which 42 are occupied and five patients were referred this afternoon. Dr Jasbir Mann of Mann Medicity said: “We are only getting 30 to 35 per cent of our oxygen requirement. Of the 40 beds reserved for level 3 patients, 30 are occupied. Against the requirement of 500 cylinders per day, 153 have been allotted. If the situation persists, we will be unable to take in level 3 patients.”