Bengaluru hospitals gasp for oxygen as new cases cross 11,000-mark

Bengaluru’s hospitals are running out of oxygen and are desperately looking for beds in other hospitals to accommodate patients. The situation took a grim turn on Saturday when the city crossed the 11,000-mark in new cases on a single day. Private hospitals’ association wrote to the health minister to intervene.

The low supply and high demand brought on by the city’s high caseload has increased oxygen requirements by a factor of 10, said Dr Shoba Prakash, vice-president of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes’ Association (PHANA). “Medium-sized hospitals previously had a daily demand of between five and 10 cylinders a day. Now, it ranges between 25 and 50 cylinders a hospital per day,” she said, adding that the problem of shortage has affected all medium and small hospitals across the city, which according to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), contribute about 39% of the 1,668 beds allocated by private hospitals for government-referred Covid-19 hospitals.

Read | Karnataka asks Centre for 7,500 extra oxygen cylinders amid surge in Covid-19

She added that large private hospitals are mostly unaffected as they have their own oxygen manufacturing capability. The government, however, says that injudicious use of oxygen by the private sector is creating the shortfall, plus a lack of planning when it comes to oxygen storage. Caught in the centre are oxygen suppliers who said that they are at their wit’s end at how to supply their clients. “Until April, the daily demand for hospitals was about 10 cylinders a day. In the past few days, we are being besieged by hospitals to such an extent that not even 100 cylinders are enough. The government must ramp up production,” said Ravindra Kumar of Unity Gas.

Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said in the absence of liquid oxygen tanks in private hospitals, jumbo cylinders from public hospitals will be diverted to private hospitals that need it. “Apart from 800 tonnes of oxygen that we produce in the state, the Centre is supplying 300 tonnes. Our requirement now is 200 tonnes. There are four bottling companies in the state. We have requested 7,500 jumbo cylinders from the Centre too,” he said. However, this does not tell the full picture. Sources said that large quantities of oxygen being manufactured at the primary manufacturer source in Ballari are going to Maharashtra.

A senior government official confirmed that oxygen is going to Maharashtra, but that this is in-line with directions from the Union government. “The shortages in Karnataka are due to PHANA not giving us accurate information about how many beds they have or what their specific oxygen requirements are,” the official said.

PHANA president Dr Prasanna H M, in a letter said, “We do not want to see this happening and we are helpless. The government must take immediate steps to supply oxygen to all needy hospitals. Time is running out and we pray with utmost urgency to consider this on top priority and address the situation.”

Dr Y L Rajashekar, secretary, PHANA, met Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Jawaid Akhtar, on Saturday. After the meeting, he told DH, “We are worried that tomorrow is Sunday and we don’t want to lose patients due to the lack of oxygen.”

Dr Vijay Raghav Reddy, the owner of Swastik Hospital in Bommasandra, said nine of his patients require at least 36 jumbo cylinders (46 litres each), a day, to sustain themselves. He contacted Manipal, Oxford College, Sakra and Columbia Asia hospitals to accommodate his patients but to no avail, he says.

He told DH, “I have medical oxygen left till evening. The suppliers say they don’t have liquid oxygen. Nobody is ready to supply oxygen cylinders. I am willing to pay any amount. One of my patients was taken to Yelahanka, another to Sarjapur. The government should stop diversion of oxygen for industrial purposes. Even the Anekal taluk health officer could not help.”