Chandigarh, May 7

The UT Administration has fixed a daily quota of medical oxygen cylinders for private hospitals to ensure smooth supply amid Covid surge.

As per the orders, the private hospitals will be bound to lift the number of cylinders which they request to be supplied every day. The private refilling vendors will ensure the supply as per the request of private hospitals, subject to the maximum limit of daily quota on a given day, read the orders.

The private hospitals or mini Covid centres will inform regarding the requirement of oxygen cylinders by 12:00 noon every day, it added.

Limit patient intake

Meanwhile, the mini Covid care centres have been asked not to take patients who require oxygen, till the time the situation stabilises.

There was an acute shortage of oxygen at the Covid care centre at Bal Bhawan, Sector 23, following which the attendants were asked to arrange oxygen cylinders.

Yashpal Garg, who looks after the medical oxygen supply in the UT, said, “This issue is being taken care of and they have been asked not to take more patients on oxygen till availability of oxygen cylinders improves.”

Security beefed up

Considering the shortage of medical oxygen in the city, the UT on Friday ordered that the oxygen generation plants located within Chandigarh would only cater to the needs of the health institutions within the city.

It had been reported that on Thursday evening some “influential persons” had pressurised the staff of Super Agencies – oxygen generation plant in Industrial Area, Phase l, Chandigarh – to refill oxygen cylinders. Following the incident, the UT has requested that appropriate security be put in place on the premises of Super Agencies. — TNS