Mid-sized pvt hospitals may face oxygen crisis if situation worsens, feel experts

KOLKATA: Even as the state government has already taken steps to set up oxygen plants in over 55 state-run hospitals, experts on Tuesday said the mid-sized private hospitals may face difficulties in providing oxygen to the patients if the situation complicates further.

The top private hospitals have piped oxygen supply so they can handle the situation, they added. Meanwhile, the hospital authorities of Vidyasagar SGH Hospital denied allegations that a 50-year-old patient — Jamuna Nath — admitted to its SARI ward on Monday with fever and respiratory distress, died on Tuesday due to oxygen crisis.

The family members of the deceased, however, alleged that the woman couldn't be provided with oxygen on time. According to sources in the hospital, the patient's oxygen level was SPO2 -85 per cent at the time of admission.

The patient was treated with required medicines and oxygen. Hospital claimed that the patient was continuing with oxygen but unfortunately expired at 9.10 am on Tuesday. "Patient's relatives complained before the media that the patient was not given oxygen which is not true. Presently, there are 34 SARI beds but due to heavy demand 10 additional beds were added and two patients are being accommodated on each bed so that many more can be given treatment.

"On Monday, around 32 male and 31 female SARI patients were admitted to the ward. There are 10 Oxygen concentrators and 60 B type cylinders available for these patients and there is no dearth of oxygen supply in the hospital," reads the press statement issued by the hospital.

Some of the private hospitals in the city have already taken up the issue of oxygen crisis. A private hospital in Garia faced oxygen crisis on Monday evening and they had managed oxygen from a government hospital in the city. It had around 80 Covid infected patients as on Monday night when the crisis was reported. Another private hospital in Rajarhat also informed the Swasthya Bhawan that they were facing some shortage of oxygen and it stopped admitting patients.