Delhi: Healthcare gasps as oxygen supply is hit

NEW DELHI: Many hospitals in Delhi went into panic mode on Friday as the farmers’ protests at the borders led to delay in supply of liquid medical oxygen.
Delhi doesn’t have a single production unit, and all hospitals in the national capital source it from oxygen plants in Haryana and UP, among others. Oxygen therapy, as it is often called, is the mainstay for treatment of Covid-19 patients suffering from severe breathlessness.
Sources said several trucks carrying the critical medical component were stuck for hours at the borders near Sonipat and Ghazipur due to the barricading put up by police to stop farmers from entering Delhi.
“We had only a few hours of oxygen supply left. So, we were in extreme panic. I called all officials concerned at the state and central levels. By evening, we were assured that the trucks were moving in,” the chief executive director of a private hospital in Rohini said.
The heads of Sir Ganga Ram and Apollo hospitals said they had a reserve capacity of four days and would have faced problem if the situation didn’t normalise by then. “At present, we have enough liquid medical oxygen,” said Dr D S Rana, chairman of board of management at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
Saket Tiku, president of All India Industrial Gas Manufacturers’ Association, told TOI the daily need of liquid medical oxygen was around 200 tonnes. “Some trucks carrying medical oxygen were stuck at the borders. We informed the chief secretaries of Haryana, UP and Rajasthan to ensure clear passage for them. In some cases, the local authorities suggested taking another route to reach Delhi,” added Tiku, who was recently appointed to a committee set up by the Union commerce and industry ministry to ensure adequate supply of medical oxygen during Covid-19.
Medical oxygen is needed for patients to treat or prevent oxygen deficiency in the body in situations such as severe lung and heart conditions, during anaesthesia, and for recovery following surgery, among others.
According to Aakash Singh, sales manager of INOX Air Products — one of the largest manufacturers of industrial and medical gases in the country, the demand for medical oxygen has increased multi-fold across India since the onset of the pandemic, especially in places like Delhi with a high number of fresh daily cases.
“Our production units in Greater Noida, Bhiwadi, Barotiwala and Modinagar are working in full capacity. Even then, there are supply issues at times if the demand goes too high,” Singh said. While big hospitals have higher reserve capacities, smaller ones have very low threshold and even hours of delay in supply can derail critical care management, he added.
“We have requested several hospitals in Delhi to increase their reserve capacity to deal with any lag in supply due to high demand or exigencies such as this protest,” Singh said.
Medical liquid oxygen, supplied and stored at very low temperatures, is converted into medical oxygen, a gas at normal temperatures, to use it for therapeutic purposes.