‘Government still not augmenting oxygen production’

BENGALURU: The demand for oxygen is gradually reducing after the government started to rationalise its use, but work has not started on the ground to augment resources for worse days ahead, says experts and officials. According to government records, 787.13 MT liquid oxygen was allotted on May 17, of which 262.57 MT has been given to Bengaluru. The data also shows that as of May 17, of the 1,79,024 active cases in Bengaluru, 30,000 needed hospitalisation, while 250 needed oxygen support. It also calculated that the consumption of oxygen per patient per day at 8.33 litres per minute.

On May 8, when demand for oxygen was at the peak, the number of active cases was 2,57,119, of which 39,585 were admitted to hospitals. Among them, 267 needed oxygen and the consumption per person was 6.74 litres per minute. Interestingly, the data showed consumption per patient per day to be 12.90 litres per minute on May 8 and 12.14 litres per minute on May 17, as per the Union Government norms. “When rationing started, the supply to patients improved.

But the government has still not drawn up any roadmap for the worse days to come. The government has no ready data on the number of paediatric ICUs and total high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) beds in the city and state,” said an official, seeking anonymity. Officials pointed out that apart from rationalising the use of oxygen, the government removed HFNC beds from the list of admitting patients as, in such cases, the patient is to be given oxygen at 60 litres per minute.

This helped in reducing the demand and wastage. “The cases are not coming down, but testing is less. Also, going by the government’s assumption that cases are reducing and demand for oxygen is reducing, they have still not prepared any plan to augment production and storage of oxygen for rough days ahead. There can’t be knee-jerk reactions every time to handle a situation,” an expert working closely with the government told The New Indian Express.

He also added that when testing increases and the unlock period starts, cases will shoot up. “With CCCs, stabilisation centres and step-down hospitals equipped with oxygen beds and even oxygen on wheels services available, the government needs to understand that oxygen in cylinders also has a shelf life,” the expert stated.