Express News Service
KASARGOD: Kunammali, 74, recognized with Covid pneumonia, was on the highway to restoration. For the previous seven days, he was admitted to the E Ok Nayanar Cooperative Hospital at Chengala. But on Tuesday, the hospital dropped a bomb on his household. “They (hospital) asked us to shift him to some other hospital. He is recovering. He has recovered 85%,” says his distraught son-in-law Latheef.
All Kunammali of Sanchakadav in Adoor must get well totally is a gradual provide of oxygen and that’s what the hospital doesn’t have. E Ok Nayanar Hospital has 12 sufferers on oxygen assist. “We have asked all of them to find other hospitals with assured supply of oxygen,” mentioned a senior staffer. The hospital wants 75 oxygen cylinders each day however received solely 15 cylinders round 3.30 am on Tuesday. “Our vehicle left for Kannur to bring oxygen cylinders yesterday evening and returned with just 15 cylinders at 3.30 am,” she mentioned.
All the 15 cylinders the hospitals received are hooked to sufferers. “Once the cylinders run out of oxygen we do not have a replacement. That is why we have asked the patients to move out,” she mentioned Tuesday afternoon. The hospital mentioned it was sending one other automobile to Kannur to get oxygen Tuesday night however didn’t know when it’ll return.
Scramble for cylinders
The personal hospitals in Kasaragod district are within the midst of a severe oxygen disaster, with at the least three hospitals made to beg for oxygen cylinders to save lots of the lives of their sufferers on oxygen assist. Almost all hospitals are operating with zero buffer inventory.
“Doctors should be investing their time in treating patients but here we are spending most of our time working our phones to get oxygen. My administrative officer and I stay awake even at 3am, trying to get oxygen,” mentioned the director of a high personal hospital in Kasaragod. Aramana Hospital, with seven Covid sufferers and one non-Covid affected person on oxygen assist, had an edgy day. With only one hour of oxygen left, the hospital staffers had been compelled to make frantic calls to the collector, district medical officer, and MLAs for oxygen.
The disaster began Monday evening. Oxygen nodal officer of the district Dr A T Manoj mentioned he organized 4 cylinders from Krishna Hospital for Aramana. But the cylinders began depleting with no signal of replenishment.
Anil Nair, administrative officer of Aramana Hospital, mentioned he tried to succeed in out to the collector however he was not given an viewers. “I went to meet him to get an authorisation letter so that we can bring oxygen from Mangaluru. He kept us waiting for two hours and then a security officer said he was busy,” mentioned Nair.The district administration of Dakshina Kannada has made the collector’s authorisation letter obligatory to provide oxygen. But hospitals in Kasaragod mentioned they weren’t getting oxygen even with the collector’s letter.
After hours of haggling, Aramana Hospital, was advised by Balco Air Products — the refilling unit at Parassinikadavu in Kannur — would provide 10 cylinders by 7.30pm on Tuesday. But the cylinders by no means got here. The hospital organized one cylinder from an ambulance, one from KIMS in Kasaragod and 4 cylinders from one other personal hospital in Kanhangad. But three of the eight sufferers on oxygen assist moved to hospitals in Kozhikode and Kannur.
Carewell Nursing Home, with 14 sufferers on oxygen assist, mentioned it was operating on an hour-to-hour foundation. “We need 16 cylinders every day. The Mangaluru refilling agent has stopped supplying. Now we get from Balco in Kannur. But we are running with zero buffer stock,” he mentioned. Earlier, the hospital used to have 20 cylinders as buffer inventory.
On Monday, KIMS, Kasaragod, received 10 cylinders simply 10 minutes earlier than it ran out of oxygen. Today, the district administration has assured it 19 cylinders. “They have taken the empty cylinders. We are waiting for oxygen,” mentioned KIMS supervisor A V Krishnan.Kasaragod MLA N A Nellikkunnu wrote to the chief minister in search of his pressing intervention on the matter.
NO CRISIS IN GOVT HOSPSGovernment hospitals want round 180 bulk cylinders each day. “We can manage,” mentioned oxygen nodal officer Dr A T Manoj. He mentioned personal hospitals ought to judiciously use oxygen which is briefly provide. They must also promptly apply for cylinders on the Jagratha portal. The drawback is Balco — the one refilling unit in Kannur — provides oxygen to Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Kasaragod districts. Its capability is 300 cylinders per day however it’s dispatching as much as 600. Hospitals await hours earlier than getting cylinders, and the drive again takes greater than two hours.
Last month, the Corona Core Committee determined to arrange 1,000 oxygen beds in Kasaragod.
“That plan has been shelved because of lack of oxygen,” mentioned an official. He mentioned 40 oxygen beds in Tata Trust Hospital and 20 oxygen beds within the District Hospital should not getting used.