Hospitals should take Covid patients based on their oxygen, bed capacity: BBMP chief

BENGALURU: With city hospitals continuing to face a severe shortage of oxygen and beds, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta on Tuesday said that hospitals should admit patients only based on their capacity to take care of these needs.

He said that big hospitals which have oxygen tanks are facing lesser problems than smaller hospitals which stock oxygen cylinders. He said earlier hospitals needed the oxygen stock once or twice a week, but now they need it twice a day. “My suggestion to hospitals would be to take in patients based on their capacity. Hospitals must also tell us what their oxygen capacity is and how much more they need. We are conducting a survey of the stocks, capacity and patient strength. We are also checking the capacity and stocks of oxygen refillers and their supplies to hospitals,” he said.

Whoever is positive and has mild or no symptoms can start with basic medication, he said, and added, “The list of medicines has been made known to all. They are basic medicines which are easily available at any pharmacy. If patients can purchase, they should start on these medicines and if they cannot, they should inform tele-callers, who will arrange for medicines to be supplied. Timely and early medication will help reduce the infection and also the rush at hospitals and need for oxygen.”

On Remdesivir, he said that there is no shortage of the drug at government hospitals. At private hospitals too, government-referred patients are being given the supplies. For patients admitted under private quota, hospitals should upload their data every day on the government portal to get the medicine.