Private hospitals in Bengaluru face a shortage of medical oxygen

Bengaluru: A severe shortage of medical oxygen has been reported in private hospitals of Bengaluru. Due to this, treatment of Covid patients is proving to be difficult.

A majority of Covid patients with moderate to severe lung infection need high flow nasal oxygen to recover.

On Saturday, Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA) wrote a letter to the health minister K Sudhakar’s necessary intervention. The letter stated, “The suppliers have either stopped supply or are not responding to deliver the required stocks.”

No shortage of oxygen supply: Minister

28 Covid patients are already being treated with backup oxygen storage in a hospital near Mahalakshmi Layout. They said all the patients would find themselves in a difficult situation if there is no new supply by Saturday night. The hospital head told, “We’ll have to shift patients elsewhere if there is no streamlining of oxygen supply.”

Dr HM Prasanna, President, PHANA, said, “the demand for oxygen has doubled in the past week. It has been tough as our regular suppliers are not responding and supply had been hit.”

Six Covid patients were shifted to other hospitals from Swastik Hospital near Bommasandra due to an acute shortage of oxygen.

Dr Vijay Raghav Reddy, medical director, Swastik Hospital told, “Most Covid patients in hospital require oxygen. We have been getting no response from regular suppliers as the demand has grown manifold last week.”

However, the situation is contrasting in government-run Covid hospitals which have liquid oxygen tanks. “We have no problem with oxygen supplies. We buy from Inox suppliers and they efficiently provide is what we need,” said Dr. (Wing Commander) MD Marker, medical director, Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain hospital, Vasanthnagar.

Minister Sudhakar said, “There has been no shortage of oxygen supply in the state. A few private hospitals have alerted us about the supply related issues they’re facing and we’ll sort it out.”