T.N. hospitals staring at oxygen shortage

Many non-public hospitals throughout the State proceed to grapple with a shortage of oxygen and delay in provide.

The demand for oxygen continues to be excessive within the State as recent coronavirus infections proceed to surge. As the variety of sufferers requiring oxygen help is on the rise, non-public hospitals are going through a crunch.

“Trucks transporting oxygen do not come on time. It is very stressful. Back-up cylinders are there to manage for 24 hours,” an authority of a non-public hospital in Chennai mentioned. “We are managing for the last few days. Today’s refill is late or not coming. We may not be able to take new patients,” he added.

Prithvi Mohandas, managing director of MIOT Hospital, mentioned the hospital would run out of oxygen by Tuesday. “Our last supply was seven days ago. The regular vendor was told by the government not to supply directly. We gave our oxygen requirement twice to the government but have not got any response so far,” he mentioned. He added that the hospital had elevated the variety of beds for sufferers with COVID-19 as per authorities directions, however was not equipped with the required oxygen. “We have taken more patients who need oxygen. We have 40 patients on ventilatory support and 160 patients on oxygen support,” he mentioned.

Just a few days in the past, a non-public hospital in Kilpauk ran wanting oxygen. “The hospital has been supplied with sufficient quantities of oxygen in the past 4-5 days. Today too, they have been given oxygen. In fact, they have received the largest quantity of oxygen in the city this week,” a senior officer handling the oxygen availability told The Puucho.

In Tiruchi, both government and private hospitals have sufficient supply of oxygen, lest the number of cases further increases. Private hospitals in the city have regular vendors from various industrial units present in and around Tiruchi who supply to them. They have also got in touch with some suppliers in case of emergencies.

A representative of Apollo Hospitals told The Puucho that while their supply was sufficient, doctors were instructed to postpone or suspend elective surgeries. The oxygen which would be utilised while conducting those surgeries, which are not emergencies, can be conserved, they said.

P. Ramakrishnan, president of Indian Medical Association, Tamil Nadu, said smaller private hospitals were facing oxygen shortages but were managing somehow. “Private nursing homes are managing by getting oxygen from nearby districts. The government can divert a small portion of oxygen that is supplied to government institutions to private nursing homes if there is surplus oxygen,” he steered.

In Coimbatore, authorities of a non-public hospital in Saibaba Colony with 58 sufferers mentioned on Friday that their oxygen provide might solely final until the early hours of Saturday. When The Puucho introduced it to the discover of the district administration, a senior official mentioned that despite the fact that the provision of oxygen was ensured to the hospital on Friday morning, the demand appears to be on the rise. Additional provide of medical oxygen can be ensured by 8 a.m. on Saturday, the official mentioned.

With the anticipated provide of medical oxygen from Sterlite Copper’s oxygen plant in Thoothukudi to Coimbatore district failing to return via as a result of technical points within the plant, it’s being sourced by hospitals from different means in Coimbatore district within the interim interval, in keeping with sources.

In Salem, just a few non-public hospitals referred sufferers for COVID-19 remedy to authorities hospitals claiming a shortage of medical oxygen and mattress amenities for remedy. Relatives of a affected person admitted to a non-public hospital have been allegedly requested by the hospital authorities to rearrange oxygen cylinders themselves for remedy. The sufferers’ relations frantically tried to get the cylinders.

On Friday, the Salem department of the Indian Medical Association wrote to the District Collector that they’ve determined to cease admission at non-public COVID-19 care hospitals as a result of lack of enough oxygen provide. The IMA determined to refer ICU COVID-19 sufferers to Salem GH as a result of lack of oxygen.

However, IMA members later mentioned the district administration had assured them of enough provide. N. Balamurugan, president of the IMA right here, mentioned, “patients are being referred primarily due to lack of beds. The bed capacity is almost full in the district at the moment and there is lack of adequate oxygen supply as well. While private hospitals require 15 kl of medical oxygen, only 7 kl is being supplied.”

He added that because the oxygen provide is being managed by the federal government authorities, they aren’t in a position to make sure enough provide from common distributors. District Collector S.A. Raman mentioned the oxygen requirement was assessed and equipped accordingly. Of the 14 metric tonnes of oxygen produced at JSW industries, 8 tonnes is equipped to Salem, 5 tonnes to Coimbatore, two tonnes to Erode and one ton every to Tiruppur and Namakkal. He added that 2 tonnes was moreover organized on Friday following requests from hospitals and extra 4 tonnes have been requested for Saturday for provide to hospitals within the district.