BENGALURU: With Karnataka touching newer highs every day as the Covid-19 situation spins out of control, major hospitals are walking on thin ice as regards their stocks and supply of oxygen cylinders is limited. Many are managing on a day-to-day basis while some are battling with just hours of oxygen stocks left.
On Saturday, the state recorded 29,438 fresh cases, with Bengaluru Urban district alone accounting for 17, 342 cases. The managements of hospitals are keeping their fingers crossed that they do not run out of stock in the dead of the night or when a patient suddenly needs it.
A doctor from Apollo Hospitals said, “It is literally a handto- mouth situtation. The demand has shot up five times compared to normal times. We have to keep a 24-hour reserve so that there is no shortage for patients. Earlier, if we needed 500 cubic metres of oxygen per day, the demand has now increased to 1,250 cubic metres. At present, we have 103 cubic metres stock in some of our hospitals.”
Govt trying to ensure there’s no shortage
The situation in Manipal Hospital is also no different. While some of the Manipal hospitals said they have sufficient stock, many others said that they were walking on a tightrope. The managements were, however, unable to give out details about their stock and supply. In the case of Fortis Hospitals, the bigger hospitals were helping the smaller ones to ensure that there is no shortage of oxygen.
“On average, we need 500 litres daily. But now, the demand has doubled in large hospitals and, in smaller ones, they are still trying to manage with 300-500 litres even though there is a capacity of 600 litres. At least 100 litres are being kept as reserve,” a doctor from Fortis said.
“Due to shortage of oxygen in other private hospitals, they are referring their patients to us and we are accommodating them as a personal and medical obligation,” he added. Doctors at St John’s Hospital said there is a demand for 250 cubic metres of oxygen per day, but the supply has been low. They said they have limited stocks and are not able to take in more patients. To ensure that they do not run dry, they are forced to switch off supply when a patient is not using while eating or when using the washroom, etc .