Hosps continue to grapple with oxygen crisis in Lko
LUCKNOW: Oxygen crisis troubled patients for the second consecutive day here on Thursday as two patients allegedly lost their lives to poor supply of the medical gas at a private hospital in the city.
An elderly man and a middleaged woman succumbed to illness during treatment at the private hospital in Indira Nagar. The hospital administration denied that the deaths happened due to lack of oxygen, but admitted they were unable to provide the required level of the medical gas.
“No death happened due to lack of oxygen. Both the patients were being given oxygen from the concentrators we have for the patients and were under treatment for the past few days. Yes, we needed more oxygen for increasing the flow of the medical gas and, for that, our 12 jumbo cylinders are awaiting refill at the oxygen plant since yesterday, but the agency is not giving us the gas,” said Richa Mishra of the hospital.
Lucknow reported a total 19 deaths and 5,239 fresh Covid-19 cases during the day.
The situation in other Covid and non-Covid hospitals wasn’t comfortable either as attendants were regularly called to shift their patients elsewhere while new admissions were stopped at many hospitals for lack of adequate oxygen.
“Oxygen crisis has restricted
admissions as admitting more patients will require more oxygen. Hence, primarily we are trying to manage patients who are already admitted and getting oxygen from all the sources from where we can,” said Dr Salman Khalid of the Fehmina Hospital, Trauma Centre and Blood Bank.
“Arrange beds in another hospital or arrange oxygen for your patient yourself” — such messages from hospitals troubled attendants for the second day on Thursday as private Covid and non-Covid hospitals hardly admitted any patients for
want of oxygen.
“The hospital called up, saying there is only oxygen back-up for two hours and if it is not refilled, the patient will have to be shifted. You may please arrange bed at other hospital. As soon as I got the call, I rang up every friend and contacts to get the oxygen cylinders filled so that I could give it to the hospital but nowhere could I find the medical gas,” said an attendant who had a relative admitted to a hospital in Gomti Nagar.
Two private Covid hospitals have already put up a notice for
attendants, informing them about poor oxygen supply while serious patients in hospitals across the state capital continue to get oxygen at the threshold of the stock.
“I have 12 beds for Covid-19 patients but at present I have admitted only four. This is because I am able to manage oxygen only for these many patients. An ambulance with empty oxygen cylinders is standing at filling station since morning,” said Nishant Singh of Make Well Hospital.