41 hospitals await DCH nod for want of medical oxygen
   Date :06-May-2021

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By Dheeraj Fartode :
 
A TOTAL of 41 hospitals are awaiting approval from the district administration to operate as Dedicated COVID Hospitals (DCHs) due to non-supply of medical Oxygen. The administration is presently concentrating on ensuring oxygen supply to the already established COVID hospitals. “Permission has not been given to these hospitals so far to cater to daily medical oxygen demand of the already established hospitals,” said District Collector Ravindra Thakre. Thakre informed ‘The Hitavada’ that the 41 hospitals with capacity of more than 1,024 beds have applied to operate as COVID hospital with medical oxygen supply. Claiming that the administration was facing problems to sanction supply to the hospitals, Thakre said that facility of oxygen beds was ramped up in district as well as in the city.
 
“Nagpur city has around 9,000 beds and 2,000 have been added in hospitals in the districts at tehsil levels. These new facilities require regular supply of medical oxygen which the administration is providing at war-footing level,” the Collector said. “The district is not receiving ample supply of oxygen from Bhilai which is the nearest place,” he said. “If we give permission to a new hospital, then we would have to manage supply of medical oxygen on a regular basis. This cannot be done immediately due to neck-to-neck oxygen supply situation,” Thakre added.
 
“If the hospitals set up their own oxygen generation plants or arrange oxygen concentrators on their own, then only the administration will think of giving them permission,” Thakre stated. Nagpur city and district require 150 MT oxygen per day while 50 MT oxygen is being supplied to Wardha, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Gondia, Yavatmal, Amravati, Akola and even Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh. All these hospitals have been getting oxygen supply from Nagpur for last 10 years. The suppliers are now finding it difficult to cater to the increased demand in wake of the second wave of the pandemic. Thakre cited example of Kasturba Hospital, Sevagram, Wardha whose normal requirement was just 200 oxygen cylinders. After outbreak of COVID-19, the demand surged to 800 cylinders and now they have made a demand for 300 more cylinders, Thakre claimed.
 
New facility with capacity of 700 cylinders next week Collector Thakre informed that Sunvijay Industries, Butibori, has taken initiative to provide medical oxygen to the city. The new facility with a capacity of 700 cylinders of medical oxygen will become operational from next Wednesday, he said.
 
COVID care centre at Haj house A COVID care centre has become operational at Haj house in Nagpur with the initiative of Guardian Minister Dr Nitin Raut. Minority. The building has 40 rooms and can accommodate about seven hundred people. Necessary infrastructure facilities will be provided at this place soon, said Thakre.