BHUBANESWAR: With a rise in requirement of oxygen for treatment of Covid-19 patients following the surge in new cases, the State government has decided to equip all Covid care facilities with adequate oxygen cylinders.
While the State has a capacity of around 12,000 cylinders with a filling capacity of 130 tonne of oxygen per day, production of liquid medical oxygen is around 375 tonne.
The Odisha State Medical Corporation (OSMC) has floated tenders for procurement of 18,000 more cylinders to ensure that the Covid care centres in rural areas also have oxygen support.
The government has also urged the Centre to supply 10,000 jumbo oxygen cylinders, 20,000 B-type cylinders, five cryogenic oxygen tanks of 10,000 litre each, 30,000 flow meters and 25,000 adult and 5,000 paediatric masks besides 5,000 oxygen concentrators.
Although arrangements have been made in all districts for oxygen cylinders and each health institution has been tagged to one or more cylinder refilling centres, the Health department has directed districts to ensure the number of vehicles engaged for transportation of cylinders to and from refilling centres is increased from time to time.
Additional Chief Secretary of Health PK Mohapatra said it is necessary to increase the frequency and number of vehicles being sent for refilling of oxygen cylinders in order to maintain continuity of supply.
“At any given point of time, at least one vehicle should be available as reserve as stand-by for meeting any eventuality on account of vehicle breakdown or staff absence. All vehicles have to be fitted with GPS tracking system and the contact details be shared with the IT Secretary along with a copy to Drugs Controller,” he directed.
The department has also issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) for requisition of Tocilizumab and other drugs for treating Covid-19 patients.
As per the SOP, Tocilizumab may be used in patients with moderate disease with progressively increasing oxygen requirement and in mechanically ventilated patients not improving despite the use of steroid.
“But after receiving Tocilizumab through government supply, some hospitals were found to have not used the drugs on some patients for whom requisitions were filed,” Mohapatra said and asked officials to initiate measures to rationalise the supply of Tocilizumab or other drugs for appropriate use by needy patients.