The State government has asked all major hospitals in the State to set up oxygen plants and directed smaller ones to have oxygen concentrators to treat Covid-19 patients.
The State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that hospitals with more than 50 beds must have their own oxygen plants. He admitted that the government was struggling to cater to the oxygen requirement.
“The Centre has permitted to bring oxygen from other places including Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat. The plan to bring oxygen using tankers is on the cards,” he said.
Tope added that the State is catering to the (daily) demand of 1,400 MT oxygen and talks with JSW steels to get additional 200 MT oxygen.
Minister claimed the government would be able to streamline the supply of Remdesivir in the next 4-5 days. Tope said, “We have asked hospitals for judicious use of Remdesivir. In next 4-5 days a big production will be in the market,” said Tope.
While relatives of Covid -19 patients in Pune on Thursday staged a sit-in protest outside Collector’s office demanding the supply of anti-viral drug Remdesivir, private and government hospitals in the State are finding it challenging to cater to the rising need for oxygen.