Left with hours of oxygen supply, hospitals send out SOS

Deputy CM C N Ashwath Narayan has been named the chairperson of the Covid-19 Task Force, reconstituted amid the raging pandemic

Two city hospitals sent out distress calls saying they are rapidly falling short of oxygen, in a sign that city medical facilities are hitting a crisis point in managing their depleting oxygen reserves.

Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan rushed in some oxygen cylinders for 30 patients in Medax Hospital in RT Nagar, which did not reach the hospital till this report went to press. MP D K Suresh of Bangalore Rural district put out an SOS video asking for oxygen for the Rajarajeshwari Medical College in Kengeri Satellite Town. The institute rubbished the shortage claims.

On May 3 afternoon, Medax said it had oxygen supplies till 5 pm and its medical director Srihari Shapur wrote to a patient asking them to make arrangements at a different hospital.

Read | Don't want another Chamarajanagar episode: Two Bengaluru hospitals issue oxygen SOS, say supply will run out in a few minutes

“This is to inform you that we are running out of oxygen supply, we are unable to collect oxygen care for the patient,” Shapur’s letter to the patient’s relative said. “We have been informing since May 1, 6 pm. We will shortly run out of oxygen by May 3, 5 pm. Kindly arrange for beds in different hospitals. We regret this situation. And request you to co-operate in view of patient wellbeing.”

Shapur told DH that the hospital received 15 cylinders from Shifaa Hospital in Shivajinagar. “This will last for four or five hours for 30 patients,” he said. “Though I received calls from Deputy CM Ashwath Narayan’s office, I haven’t yet received the cylinders. I need four liquid oxygen dura cylinders and 60 jumbo cylinders daily."

Though the hospital has been getting oxygen from distributors in Hosur and Peenya, supply has been erratic for the past one week due to demand that went from 10 to 15 cylinders to 180 to 200. The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee supplied 15 cylinders to the hospital.

MP D K Suresh’s video asking for oxygen to the Rajarajeshwari Medical College went viral on social media. "There are 200 patients at this college and there is enough oxygen to last till 5 pm. I request the government to please avoid the repeat of the Chamarajanagar episode," the MP said in the video.

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Rajarajeshwari Medical College medical superintendent Dr Praveen Kumar, however, called the video a "political gimmick for their vote bank," saying the institute’s oxygen tanks could store up 10,000 litres. "We have supplies for 48 hours and our suppliers Universal Air, Amo and Praxair are sending in regular supplies."

Two days ago, the college raised a request for 72 B type cylinders and 15-20 D type cylinders just as backup. They said the supply was received.

On Monday, the war room received an indent for 61 oxygen cylinders (30 kilolitres of liquid oxygen) from private hospitals and 116 cylinders (12.5 kilolitres) from district hospitals across the state, in addition to a request for 61 cylinders from taluk hospitals.

What the MP has to say

"If they have 10 kilolitres of liquid oxygen tank all filled, why did they ask for (extra) cylinders?" MP D K Suresh said.

"It is not for backup but for shortage. I have messages from the principal who said no one was responding. They had (the supplies) till 5 pm. The deputy commissioner then arranged for the cylinders."

The MP said the institute had received one tonne of oxygen from another hospital. "I requested the chief secretary who said it would be arranged from Palakkad."