Oxygen alarm bells in Maharashtra, hospital beds operating out, scarcity of cylinders

A SEVERE scarcity has despatched the costs of oxygen cylinders hovering throughout Maharashtra. Aurangabad, the place the positivity charges had been the best within the state March-end, is especially exhausting hit, with all oxygenated beds occupied over the weekend, and sufferers desperately looking for to deal with themselves at dwelling.
All 2,214 oxygen beds had been occupied over Friday and Saturday within the district, the place the positivity price was 43.8 per cent within the closing days of March. Of a complete 15,484 energetic instances, 4,600 are beneath dwelling isolation. Most are delicate, mentioned docs, however some are reasonably unwell, and require oxygen assist.
Since March, the demand for medical oxygen has risen throughout Maharashtra. The present day by day requirement of medical oxygen within the state is 700-750 metric tonnes, up from 150-200 till the tip of February. In Aurangabad, the day by day requirement is 49.5 metric tonnes, up from 15-17 metric tonnes till February finish.

There is not any scarcity of oxygen for sufferers admitted to hospitals, however hospitals are operating in need of oxygenated beds. For sufferers being turned away and suggested dwelling isolation, oxygen cylinders have turn into exhausting to get.
Given the scarcity, the state Public Health Department had final Tuesday directed producers to produce 80 per cent oxygen for medical use and the stability 20 per cent for industrial functions till June 30.
The value of cylinders has additionally spiralled. The refilling value of a 7,000 litre cylinder has greater than doubled to Rs 350 from Rs 150. (Express Photo)
On Saturday, when Maharashtra counted 49,447 instances, the best because the pandemic hit the state final March, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray acknowledged the scarcity of oxygen and mentioned the state was considering reserving the complete 100 per cent oxygen manufacturing for medical functions for the following few days.
In Mumbai, the brand new instances crossed the 9,000 mark for the primary time, with 9,108 contemporary instances. There had been 277 deaths. On Friday, for which numbers can be found, 3.28 lakh individuals had been vaccinated, of which 57,390 had been in Mumbai.
“Last week, we had decided to restrict the use of oxygen to 20 per cent for industrial purposes, and remaining for the health system. Now, I feel the time has come to use 100 per cent oxygen for the health system. And even if that does not suffice, we will be in a serious situation,” Thackeray mentioned in an interplay with journalists.
Muzammil Khan (40), a nurse in Aurangabad’s GMC hospital, examined constructive in March finish. A day later his 90-year-old father Mustafa and 40-year-old spouse additionally examined constructive. “We had mild symptoms, but my father’s oxygen saturation started dropping. I am a nurse but I could not find a hospital bed for him,” Khan mentioned.
A physician suggested pressing oxygenation. Unable to step out on account of dwelling isolation, Khan desperately known as oxygen suppliers, NGOs, and associates to acquire an oxygen cylinder. It was solely after three tense days, by when his father’s oxygen saturation was hovering at a harmful 70, {that a} non-public hospital official who knew him nicely agreed to lend one cylinder.
In Mumbai, the brand new instances crossed the 9,000 mark for the primary time, with 9,108 contemporary instances. (Express Photo)
Shaikh Sattar, 51, a lab technician and diabetic, examined constructive for Covid-19 on March 30. Soon he developed extreme cough and chilly. His oxygen saturation dropped to 86. “I went to three hospitals, none had spare cylinders. Oxygen beds have a waiting list,” he mentioned. Eventually on physician’s recommendation he took Favipiravir at dwelling with out oxygen assist.
“One cylinder can help only one patient at home. In a hospital it can serve multiple patients,” explains oxygen provider Abdul Hakim, proprietor of oxygen Zainab Enterprise, who stopped supplying cylinders to houses for every week. The demand has elevated 4 occasions since March— from 200-250 to 800-900 cylinders a day— and Hakim is unable to retain any emergency inventory. “Since demand has grown across Maharashtra, the supply is delayed,” he mentioned.
The value of cylinders has additionally spiralled. The refilling value of a 7,000 litre cylinder has greater than doubled to Rs 350 from Rs 150. Advance deposit for a cylinder at house is Rs 10,000, up from Rs 5,000.
Manish Mittal, proprietor of Sagar Gases, that provides to prime hospitals in Aurangabad, mentioned producers have hiked oxygen value from Rs 10 per cubic metre to Rs 18. “The price hike is from the manufacturer’s end. Coupled with this, I need more drivers and labourers to transport and handle more oxygen. If I have to deliver one cylinder specially to someone’s home, additional transportation cost will be around Rs 100,” he mentioned.
Mittal mentioned the federal government has requested them to prioritise hospitals for oxygen provide which can have an effect on dwelling provide.
“The high cost of oxygen is still manageable but the problem is lack of availability of oxygen for home treatment. If a patient neither gets a hospital bed nor a cylinder at home, how will she get treated?” asks Masihuddin Siddique of NGO Global Foundation that works with Aurangabad district officers to assist sufferers with medicine.
Pharmacist Kishore Waghmare mentioned suppliers additionally demand a physician’s prescription. in flip, docs are reluctant to prescribe oxygen for sufferers in dwelling isolation fearing authorities motion.
“For home treatment, a doctor should be willing to take full responsibility for treatment. And not all private doctors are ready to do that,” mentioned Dr Sundar Kulkarni, Aurangabad Civil Surgeon, denying there was an oxygen disaster within the district.
Aurangabad district has added 3,000 isolation beds for covid sufferers within the final one month to carry the entire as much as 20,084 beds. Of these, beds can be found for mildly sufferers, however even for these, admission is given solely to those that haven’t any dwelling isolations amenities, officers mentioned.

In GMC, the most important authorities hospital in Aurangabad, 10 sufferers are wait listed for Covid therapy. Dr Kananbala Yelikar, Dean, GMC, was admitted to a Pune hospital for Covid-19 therapy in the course of the week.