Audit finds excessive use of oxygen in U.P. hospitals

CM Adityanath directs health and medical education departments to coordinate with such hospitals and take action to ‘balance’ the consumption.

May 09, 2021 03:16 pm | Updated May 10, 2021 12:26 am IST - LUCKNOW:

People wait in a queue to refill their oxygen cylinders for COVID-19 patients, at an oxygen refilling station in Gorakhpur, Saturday, May 08, 2021.

People wait in a queue to refill their oxygen cylinders for COVID-19 patients, at an oxygen refilling station in Gorakhpur, Saturday, May 08, 2021.

Some hospitals in Uttar Pradesh are consuming oxygen several times higher than the average, the State government said on Sunday based on the preliminary report of an oxygen audit conducted by it.

Taking note of it, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the health and medical education departments to coordinate with such hospitals and take action to ‘balance’ the consumption.

The government’s observation comes at a time when hospitals as well as legislators of the ruling BJP are still reporting shortage of oxygen supply.

Last month the government announced that it would get an audit done of the sale, purchase and consumption of oxygen through premier institutes such as the IIT-BHU, IIT-Kanpur and IIM-Lucknow for proper monitoring of the medical oxygen.

Coronavirus updates | May 9, 2021

In the past 24 hours, 950 metric tonnes of oxygen were supplied and distributed in the State, the government said.

Curfew extended

Meanwhile, the “partial corona curfew” was extended another week till May 17, the State government said.

The partial curfew was yielding positive results and helping in breaking the chain of the COVID-19 infection.

All government and private educational institutions and coaching institutes would be shut till May 20.

The State recorded 23,333 new cases while 34,636 people were discharged. In all, 2.29 lakh samples were tested over the past 24 hours, including 1.11 lakh through RT-PCR, the government said.

Uttar Pradesh has 2.34 lakh active cases, a drop of 77,000 from April 30.

So far, 1.37 crore doses of vaccine had been administered across the State, In the 18-44 age group, 1.17 lakh doses had been administered in seven districts, the government said.

From May 10, the drive for the 18-44 group will be expanded to 11 new districts.

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