Ahmedabad hospitals face medical oxygen crunch

AHMEDABAD: It was an emergency shifting of eight Covid-19 positive patients from Parekhs Hospital near Shyamal crossroads to Sola Civil Hospital on Thursday evening. While the patients were not critical, they needed oxygen and the hospital authorities revealed that they would run out of it by Thursday night.
Dr Ketu Parekh, director of the hospital, told TOI that they have shifted eight patients after a request to Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). “Our regular supplier of medical oxygen sent us 25 cylinders on Thursday morning, telling us that he would not be able to send any more oxygen due to the lack of supply. We tried to procure it from the suppliers of other hospitals, but we could not get it,” he said.
Dr Parekh added that almost all Covid-19 patients require oxygen and thus, they did not want to take any risk. “We approached the deputy municipal commissioner and municipal commissioner over the issue and appraised them of the situation. They then intervened and sent the patients to Sola Civil Hospital and elsewhere. We have been assured from Gandhinagar that the supply would be restored by tomorrow afternoon,” he said.
The TOI had reported on September 8 that the oxygen supply – especially for the mid and small size hospitals – had become an issue in the wake of Covid-19 situation. On Wednesday, the state deputy chief minister and health minister, Nitin Patel, had instructed the oxygen producers to keep 350 tons of stock as reserve to address any contingency.
In a statement, the AMC officials mentioned that according to the bed requisition MoU, the oxygen, medicines, food and other amenities must be provided by the private hospitals. “The AMC is monitoring the oxygen supply condition. We are in contact with the suppliers and producers and they have been instructed to ensure adequate supply to the hospitals,” mentioned an AMC note.
Dr Bharat Gadhvi, president of Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (AHNA), said that several of the city-based hospitals were facing oxygen shortages.