BELAGAVI: With many hospitals here running short of medical oxygen supply, a large number of patients down with Covid-19 and in a critical state are under risk. A patient died two days ago allegedly due to the failure of a local private hospital to ensure timely supply of oxygen.There are a total 1,192 Nursing homes in the district, 450 Ayush hospitals and 352 diagnostic centres offering various health services. Among 45 major hospitals, 22 facilities have been treating Covid-19 cases. All these hospitals require medical oxygen to treat those patients, especially those with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI).
The district has only two plants which supply medical oxygen and they are struggling to meet the growing requirement of all the hospitals despite working to their full capacity. The hospitals in Athani and Nipani taluks on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border are in a fix as they are largely dependent on oxygen supply from Kolhapur district in Maharashtra. The Deputy Commissioner of Kolhapur has banned the inter-state supply to avoid shortage in their own state.
Venkatesh Patil, owner of Belgaum Oxygen Pvt Ltd, said, “There is a high demand from all the hospitals. However, we are working with full capacity to fulfil the demand. Since we are committed to the hospitals in Belagavi, we are focussed on supplying oxygen to them. Every day, 400 jumbo oxygen cylinders are being supplied to the hospitals here,” he said.District Health Officer Dr Shashikant Munyal said, “The issue related to Kolhapur has been solved...Oxygen is also being supplied from Ballari to Belagavi to meet the requirement,” he said.