For representational purposes (Photo | AP)
MUMBAI: In the wake of a surge in demand for medical oxygen, the Mumbai civic body on Thursday said it has appointed six of its officers as coordinators for maintaining seamless supply of the life-saving gas used in treatment of critical COVID-19 patients.
The civic body also said up to 2,000 more hospital beds for COVID-19 patients will be added in the next one week.
According to a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) release, civic commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal informed about the appointments at a virtual meeting with Maharashtra Tourism and Environment minister Aaditya Thackeray, Food and Drugs Commissioner Abhimanyu Kale and others.
The release said the officials will give instructions to private hospitals and nursing homes on judicious use of oxygen to present wastage.
They will also coordinate with oxygen suppliers, civic ward officers and the Food and Drugs administration for seamless supply of the gas.
In the meeting, Chahal said hospitals in Mumbai are currently being supplied with 235 metric tonnes of oxygen and they have asked the state government to increase the supply in view of its growing number, according to the release.
He informed that presently Mumbai has 20,000 beds available at 150 COVID-19 hospitals, including government, BMC and private hospital-run.
The number of hospital beds will go up to 22,000, in a week, the release quoted the civic chief as telling the meeting.
Though the daily number of coronavirus cases are between 8,000 to 10,000, the next 15 days are crucial for the city, the senior bureaucrat said.
At the meeting, Thackeray said all necessary measures are being taken for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in the metropolis and a demand for 2 lakh Remedesivir injections has also placed by the state government, according to the release.
The number of beds is also being increased besides ramping up the oxygen supply, the minister, an MLA from Mumbai, said.
FDA commissioner Kale said the Maharashtra government is in touch with other states for supply of medical-grade oxygen. He said once more stocks are received, oxygen will be provided to Mumbai on a priority basis.
