State starts 'Oxygen on Wheels' initiative in South and North 24-Parganas
Kolkata: In a unique move, Barasat District Hospital has opened an oxygen kiosk at the emergency ward to provide treatment to the Covid infected patients who are directly brought to the hospital with a requirement of oxygen support in the dead of the night without being registered with the district control room or with the integrated system.
In another development, both North 24-Parganas and South 24 Parganas district administrations have started 'Oxygen on Wheels' initiative for COVID-19 patients. Buses fitted with oxygen will be kept at different places. "We have buses fitted with oxygen cylinders. If any patient wants oxygen then he can take it from the bus to meet the extra rush of Covid patients. At present there are five such buses," said Dr P Ulaganathan, District Magistrate of South 24-Parganas.
Family members of the patients sometimes fail to establish contacts with the Covid control room and therefore take the patients to the hospital directly creating further burden on the hospital. Keeping this in mind, Barasat District Hospital authorities have come up with the idea to install an oxygen kiosk setting an example in the state. Patients who require immediate oxygen support are put in the kiosk and later transferred to Covid ward when their health condition is stabilized. As the beds are limited in the Covid ward, all the patients cannot be accommodated there.
An oxygen kiosk is being utilised on an emergency basis to stabilize the health condition of Covid infected patients requiring emergency oxygen support.
Dr Subrata Mondal, Superintendent of the hospital said: "We have set up a 10 bed oxygen kiosk. Emergency Covid infected patients are being brought to the hospital between 11 pm and 3 am after the family members fail to establish contact with the call center. If there is no bed in Covid ward, these patients are accommodated to the kiosk which is equipped with emergency support. Initial treatment is given at the kiosk and the patients are later shifted to the Covid ward when the beds are available,"
"I have issued clear instructions that no Covid patients can be denied admission even if there is no bed in the hospital. Arrangements must be made to provide treatment to the Covid patients on an emergency basis," Dr Mondal further added.
Four buses were fitted with oxygen cylinders and oxygen concentrators which would be stationed in four hospitals each in North 24-Parganas —Barasat District Hospital, Bongaon sub-divisional hospital, Panihati State General Hospital and Barrackpore BN Bose Hospital to meet the extra rush of patients.
In South 24-Parganas, buses are available at important Safe Homes and Hospitals in Canning Sub Division, Baruipur, Diamond Harbour and Kakdwip.
