Nagpur: An almost 90% increase in the numbers of beds for Covid patients at hospitals in the district in around 11 days have sent requirement of oxygen and anti-viral Remdesivir drugs skyhigh.
On Thursday, district hospitals struggled to supply oxygen to the Covid hospitals with no tankers from outstation sources reaching the city. Only city-based units remained operational.
On Friday, a tanker each from Vizag and Bhilai are expected to reach the city. Another from Rourkela is expected on Saturday. District collector Ravindra Thakare said the administration faces an acid test on Friday as the supply chain would fall apart if no tankers reach on time.
On Thursday, though around 62% (5,899) of the total bed capacity at the hospitals (9,497) could get Remdesivir, the district administration had to rack their brains to supply oxygen after a tanker broke near Vihirgaon in the early hours. It’s learnt that the tanker was heading to a government hospital. The breakage led to a lot of delay in the oxygen supply at the designated hospital by several hours.
To add to the woes of the district administration, an oxygen plant at Wadi developed a technical snag and had to stop operation for the most part of the day.
Thakare said the latest break down of the oxygen tanker was the second such unfortunate mishap in the last few days delaying the supply. “Earlier, one had a breakdown near Rajnandgaon. In the latest incident, we had managed to repair the damage but it did lead to delays. The plant at Wadi too was repaired by the evening but it did not give the output we anticipated. Later, we had to focus on another plant at Butibori to make up for the loss and supply those who did not the stock,” said the collector.
The skewed ratio of demand and supply of the Remdesivir drug and oxygen, vis-a-vis the rising number of hospitalized patients, too has gone out of control of the district administration to such extent that an attempt to rationalize the distribution and regulate the use has fallen flat now. Since April 11 this month, there is a 17% rise in the number of hospitalized patients — from 13,626 to 16,056 by April 22.
A sizeable number of the home isolated patients too are on oxygen. They have been either managing the supply through black market or their connections at the plants, links in the administration or political clout.
Dr BK Murli, who owns the Hope Hospital at Kamptee road and also Ayushman hospital at Ramdaspeth hospital, said he has started avoiding admitting patients for want of oxygen especially those requiring ventilator. “We are facing shortage of oxygen in both our hospitals. The supply agents whom the government has assigned to us are also not delivering the assured quota,” said Murli. He added that a patient can survive without Remdesivir but oxygen is crucial for survival in Covid.
Dr Anup Marar, convenor of the Vidarbha Hospitals’ Association, said the district administration must try to stick to the promise of the assured quantity of oxygen within the stipulated time. “Since the day the system of rationing of oxygen was put in place, we have got the supply neither on time nor the quantity assured,” he said.