UP orders O2 supply for patients needing it in home isolation

: The state government on Wednesday issued an order for oxygen supply to Covid-19 positive patients staying in home isolation and needing the medical gas.

Principal secretary (Food Safety and Drug Administration) Anita Singh sent a letter to all the divisional commissioners and district magistrates, directing them to ensure oxygen supply to the people whose sample test report is positive or are presumptive Covid patients.

A patient whose sample test report is not positive, but the blood sample, X-ray and CT scan report shows Covid infection, will also get oxygen supply in home isolation, she said.

Covid positive people will have to submit a signed prescription of a medical practitioner emphasising that the patient needs oxygen during home isolation. The district administration officials will ensure that oxygen cylinder was made available to the needy patient, she said.

The DMs will also ensure such oxygen cylinders are not given to patients who are already admitted in a Covid hospital (and receiving oxygen there). To streamline the supply of oxygen cylinder to patients, the district administration will fix more than one supply spot in each district. The officers will obtain a copy of the Aadhaar card of the patient, the family member who collects the oxygen cylinder and the mobile phone number. Each

oxygen cylinder given for home isolation will have a mark.

On May 10, there was a requirement of 56 MT (metric tonnes) oxygen for patients in home isolation in the state, according to a report submitted by the DMs of all the 75 districts of UP.

“If there is an increase or fall in the demand, the DMs will inform the control room established in the state home department for the online monitoring of oxygen supply across the state,” Singh said.

In a press statement, the state home department said in the last 24 hours, 1014.53 MT metric tonnes) oxygen was supplied to hospitals and oxygen refill centres across the state.

Additional chief secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi monitored the supply of oxygen from the control room.