Pass rules for procurement of oxygen by district hospitals: Karnataka HC

BENGALURU: The Karnataka Hight Court on Thursday directed the State Government to immediately issue guidelines for supply of oxygen to hospitals in taluks and districts.It also directed the government to take steps to create a centralised data of number of bottling units available in districts and their capacity, availability of oxygen and requirement of oxygen for each district, in the war room.

A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar also directed the State Government to give wide publicity to the emergency helpline number created at the oxygen control room and make it available in all Covid hospitals. The court also said that the State Government should make available the guidelines for optimum use of oxygen in all hospital across the state. 

Earlier, the State accepted that there was no protocol for procurement of oxygen by district hospitals.Meanwhile, Advocate General Prabhuling K Navadagi submitted the details of lifting additional 100 metric tonnes oxygen a day allocated by the Union Government. He also submitted that Centre has permitted the State Government to set up 28 pressure swing absorption (PSA) oxygen generation plants and each one will meet the oxygen required for 15-20 patients a day.

The State is also procuring another 40 PSA units. By May 15, 6 to 10 units will be functional. As per the order passed by the court, the Centre has been requested to allow the state to use the entire domestic production of oxygen, the AG told the court.