BENGALURU: Noting that the situation is alarming in Bengaluru as there is a huge gap in demand and supply of medical oxygen and Remdesivir, and also the availability of beds, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday directed the Union Government to take immediate steps to allocate 802 metric tons of oxygen per day to Karnataka. An assurance to this effect had earlier been given to the state by the Principal Secretary, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in a letter.
A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar issued the directive during a special sitting held to deal with PILs arising out of Covid-19, when the court was informed that the allocation to Karnataka is yet to be made, though it was promised on April 24.
The court noted that oxygen supply is a serious issue in the state, specially in Bengaluru. The state’s requirement of oxygen is 1,417 metric tons a day in view of the expected 3,24,944 active cases by April 30. It is recorded that the Centre has agreed to allocate 802 metric tons and 812 is Karnataka’s domestic production capacity, it noted.
Prior to this, Dr H M Prasanna, president of the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA), informed the court that they are able to procure only about 25 per cent of their Remdesivir requirement and 50 per cent of oxygen. They are paying 3-4 times more than the actual cost, he added. The court also directed the State Government and the BBMP to publish information about the availability of Remdesivir and oxygen in public domain, as directed earlier. As the Corona Curfew starts from Tuesday night, people cannot run one place to another for the drug. This is one area where immediate steps are required to be taken, the court noted.
Pointing out that there has been only a marginal increase in the number of beds in different categories in Bengaluru from April 23, after directions were issued, the court said the situation is very alarming as the available beds may not be enough to meet the demand. Therefore, the state and BBMP should make immediate efforts to increase the number of beds, the court said.