Covid-19: With cases falls demand for oxygen cylinders at home in Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH: With a dip in Covid-19 cases, the demand for oxygen cylinders for patients under home isolation has fallen drastically.
As per the data compiled by the UT administration, the demand for oxygen cylinders through e-permit was between nine and 15 daily from May 15 to May 23. But May 24 onwards, the daily demand gradually decreased and in the past three days, only one oxygen cylinder was delivered. As per data (May 15 to June 2), the UT administration, through private vendors, has given 129 oxygen cylinders.

Yashpal Garg, nodal officer for oxygen supplies in Chandigarh, said as the demand for oxygen has dipped, they have also removed the quota system for private hospitals. In the recent oxygen audit of government and private hospitals, which was started by the UT administration in May, it was observed that the consumption of the gas decreased by 20-25%.
The committee constituted by the UT administration had submitted its report to UT health secretary Arun Kumar Gupta, highlighting that the 20-25% medical oxygen consumption had fallen following sensitisation drive by the panel members, including doctors in government and private hospitals.
Garg said the Union government has fixed the daily quota of 20 MT of medical oxygen for UT from M/s INOX Barotiwala. This medical oxygen was being utilized for GMCH-32, GMSH-16 and the Covid Hospital in Sector 48. The private healthcare institutions were also catered to from this quota. Additionally, three oxygen generation plants were commissioned recently in these hospitals.
He said efforts put in by the UT administration had resulted in smooth supply of oxygen in the city. At present, UT has sufficient oxygen cylinders, so it was decided to lift the quota fixed for private hospitals, he added.
Only 9 patients in Sec 48 hospital
The UT administration had recently decided to close down the Sector 48 Covid hospital and keep it on a standby. On Thursday, there were only nine patients there. The UT had decided that no new Covid patient would be sent to the Sector 48 hospital unless all beds in Covid wards and ICUs were full in GMCH-32, which will keep a buffer of 10 beds to take care of emergencies, said Yashpal Garg, nodal officer for Covid management at GMCH-32.