Oxygen scarcity in Surat: NCH, SMIMER cease taking new sufferers

Two main hospitals in Surat — New Civil Hospital and SMIMER hospital – have stopped admitting Covid-19 sufferers citing scarcity of oxygen provide.
The sufferers coming to those hospitals are being diverted to personal hospitals for Covid-19 remedy underneath authorities quota.
On Thursday and Wednesday, New Civil Hospital obtained 44 Metric Tons (MT) oxygen whilst 60 MT was used, whereas SMIMER hospital, which used 28 MT oxygen, obtained 22 MT. According to the well being division, in NCH, 25 sufferers are on ventilator, 335 on BiPap, 403 sufferers are on oxygen help. In SMIMER hospital, 23 sufferers are on ventilator, 182 on BiPap and 100 on oxygen help. As many as 970 sufferers are underneath remedy in NCH, whereas SMIMER hospital has 441 sufferers.
The Surat Municipal Corporation had signed an MOU with 94 personal hospitals within the metropolis to order their 50 per cent mattress vacant for remedy of Covid-19 sufferers.
Officer on Special Duty Milind Torwane stated, “We are getting less stock of oxygen. With the available oxygen, we can only treat patients who are already admitted. We have signed an MOU with 94 private hospitals in the city. There are 4,746 beds in private hospitals, out of which 3,608 are having ventilator facilities and at present 1,138 beds are vacant. Apart from this, there are 87 beds with ventilator facility vacant and 127 beds vacant in the private hospitals.”
“We have coordinated with the 108 ambulance services and instructed them not to bring the patients to the NCH or SMIMER hospital and told them to take the patients to private hospitals. The patients can get treatment under government quota and it should be intimated to the civic body authorities,” Torwane added.

He additional stated, “From NCH and SMIMER hospital, we are shifting patients with mild symptoms and does not require oxygen support to the Samras Centre at VNSGU hospital. We have kept a few beds vacant to deal at both the hospitals patients who need oxygen support. Once we have sufficient oxygen capacity, we will admit more patients in both these hospitals. We are getting many patients from other districts including Navsari, Valsad, Tapi, Dangs, Bharuch and Narmada.”