An incident response system exclusively to monitor the supply of oxygen is on the cards in all districts to effectively handle the emergency situations in various government and private hospitals which are dealing with the increasing number of COVID-19 patients.
The model, adopted by the Kozhikode District administration as part of its newly released 18-point COVID-19 Surge Management Plan, will be considered for implementation in the first phase.
Under the supervision of the District-level Disaster Management Authorities, district-level Oxygen Availability Assurance Teams or District Oxygen War Rooms will be set up to manage the critical situations. These war rooms will be in touch with the Nodal Officers appointed in each of the government and private hospitals to stay updated on the oxygen availability.
In Kozhikode district, three officers led by an Assistant Collector have already taken charge to monitor the situation as per the surge management plan. They will be primarily responsible to understand the oxygen supply infrastructure, network of hospitals and establish systems to ensure uninterrupted supply for meeting the requirements.
The emergency plan prepared under the supervision of Kerala State Disaster Management Authority also proposes to maintain a buffer stock, which can be a great relief in emergency situations. Health Department officials point out that such an advance preparedness will equip the district better to meet unexpected technical issues in oxygen plants or disruption of the supply network due to unforeseen developments.
For the State-level monitoring of the situation, the district-wise data on oxygen stock and supply will be updated on the official COVID-19 Jagratha portal by the technical team and nodal officers concerned in every district. The State-level war room will monitor the whole process and coordinate with the district-level offices. Fire and Rescue Services teams will be responsible for conducting frequent inspections at various oxygen plants and ensure its safety.
According to officials with the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, there will be dedicated centre facilities as well for offering real-time solutions to COVID-19 related queries and complaints in every district. These call centres will be responsible for coordinating with multiple task forces, nodal officers and heads of various departments for prompt action, they add.
