To avoid critical patients being shifted to another facility due to shortage of oxygen, BMC has decided to monitor oxygen supply at all private and BMC hospitals. The oxygen supply and stock will now be monitored every hour with the help of Google drive, BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal directed the administration.
Chahal has asked all oxygen manufacturers and distributors to work on ‘Mission Mode’ to ensure that there is adequate oxygen supply in civic and private hospitals across Mumbai. The BMC has directed its staff to keep a track of oxygen supply across hospitals and requirements on Google Drive so that there is accurate supply and demand data available round the clock.
The moves come after Saturday when 168 patients from six BMC hospitals had to be urgently relocated to other hospitals/facilities post-midnight after a shortage of oxygen was reported in the hospitals they were admitted in.
Chahal on Monday called for a review meeting of the oxygen supply. Apart from BMC officials, state FDA Commissioner Abhimanyu Kale was also present in the meeting conducted via video conferencing along with several oxygen manufacturers and suppliers. "The need for oxygen for Covid patients has been created everywhere and Mumbai is no exception. And we admit that we understand the pressure on oxygen producers, suppliers and the FDA ," said Chahal.
The civic officials said that the teams will update Google Drive on the amount of oxygen they receive daily and will keep updating the stock frequently round the clock. "The idea of monitoring the oxygen stock and supply via google drive will be very helpful. This way the amount of oxygen available in the hospitals in Mumbai every day can be monitored." said. Kale added that the FDA will also provide all necessary assistance to the BMC. However, Chahal said that under no circumstances should the current supply of 235 metric tonnes of oxygen per day for Mumbai be reduced. Officials said that municipal teams will be appointed to monitor the transportation of the oxygen from the production site and its distribution to all covid19 hospitals and Covid centres in Mumbai as well as other hospitals. "All hospitals in Mumbai, especially private hospitals, have been strongly advised to use the available oxygen stock properly and judiciously," Chahal said adding that around a supply of 500 tonnes more oxygen is expected to be available from Visakhapatnam, Jamnagar and Raigad very soon.
