BENGALURU : With Covid cases continuing to rise in Bengaluru, more and more patients are finding themselves in need of oxygen, leading to a significant increase in demand.
The impact of this is being felt by NGOs that deliver oxygen cylinders for free, private oxygen banks and hospitals.
One such NGO is the Crisis Management India, which rents oxygen cylinders from private centres in the city and gives it for free to those who are unable to afford it.
Its founder-member Afsar Ahmed said that they get at least two to three phone calls a day, requesting for oxygen cylinders.
People who require oxygen include those who have symptoms, but have not got themselves tested and suddenly find their oxygen saturation levels dropping at home, recovered patients who need oxygen post discharge and positive patients requiring oxygen beds, but are unable to afford private hospitals and are hesitant to go to government ones, Ahmed said.
He pointed out that government facilities are reaching their limits with ICUs and oxygen beds filling up fast, and added that patients with post Covid complications may need oxygen cylinders at home for anywhere between 15 days to a month.
At the KC General Hospital in Malleswaram, the demand for oxygen beds has ensured that only five are remaining out of the 135 general, ICU and oxygen beds.
“Oxygen is also required for patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection, who are suspected to have contracted Covid, and are awaiting their test result,” Dr BR Venkateshaiah, medical superintendent, K C General Hospital.
Syed Tousif Masood, coordinator for oxygen operations at NGO Mercy Mission, has observed the demand for oxygen increase in the past one week.
He said that as it takes time to check with hospitals for available oxygen beds or ICUs, patients require oxygen cylinders delivered to them in their homes.
“We have reduced the number of oxygen banks we operate from nine to three after the number of Covid-19 cases began to drop earlier, but now as more people need it, we are delivering seven to eight cylinders a day.
We give it free to those who cannot afford private ones and only charge a refundable deposit,” Masood said.
He said that once oxygen saturation levels fall below 92 per cent, oxygen support is required, and added that cylinders cost from some private entities cost as much as Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000, which is not affordable for many people.
