Indore: City scramble for O2, long queues outside refilling stations

Indore: The oxygen supply in the city is still inadequate and a matter of concern as the long queues forming daily outside the oxygen refilling stations can become a new epicentre for spreading the virus.

Though the managers of the oxygen refilling centres are trying their best to ensure social distancing and other Covid protocols, they may prove inadequate.

People who have patients in home isolation at their homes are running from pillar to post looking for oxygen and they are queueing outside oxygen refilling stations throughout the day. The demand is also increasing because many of the smaller hospitals are also telling the families of patients to procure their own oxygen cylinders.

At the Khalsa filling station at Mhow Naka, a queue starts from 8 am even though the filling station opens at 10 am. People keep on coming throughout the day and at any given point there are at least a dozen people waiting for their turn to refill oxygen cylinders. The owner Khanuja said he is unable to provide oxygen to all the people and urged the district administration to provide more gas cylinders so that he can produce adequate among of oxygen. The situation at other oxygen filling station across the city is similar.

ONLY SMALL CYLINDERS ARE BEING FILLED

At many of the oxygen filling stations due to lack of gas cylinders, only small oxygen cylinders are being filled and those who are bringing big cylinders are being turned away.

DESPERATE TIMES FOR PATIENT'S FAMILY

Rajesh Solanki of Sudama Nagar said that his mother is in home isolation and every two days he needs to refill her oxygen cylinder. Her oxygen saturation has decreased after which the doctor prescribed her oxygen . "Till the empty cylinder gets filled, my mother remains at risk," Solanki said.

Santoshi Shukla of Shrinagar Extension said that her husband’s oxygen saturation was 90+ two days ago and now it has decreased below 85 so doctors suggested giving oxygen.

FILLING STATION OWNER

Mitesh Bhawate said every day 300 people come to him for getting their cylinders refilled. "We are doing social service so were are providing oxygen for free. At some places, they are charging for the oxygen cylinder and the oxygen.