Is shortage of oxygen supply haunting private hospitals? Yes was the answer from private hospitals.
Initially, private hospitals declined to open up for corona treatment, they have made arrangement with allocating 50% of beds for corona treatment.
As the number of corona cases is increasing, patients who can afford are approaching private hospitals for treatment. However, lack of supply of oxygen and medicines hit private hospitals hard. On Wednesday, some representatives of private hospitals in the district headquarters tried to meet the authorities and present their case. As it was a holiday, they spoke with Collector M Hanumantha Rao over phone who promised to address the issue in the next three days.
“There is shortage of oxygen supply. Similarly, required medicine is not being supplied. We will be forced to close hospitals if the medicine and oxygen supply is not up to the requirement,” said one of the representatives of private hospitals. It was stated that about 2,000 litres of oxygen was required for private hospitals alone to meet the requirement.
The pressure on medical staff, in both private and public sectors, has been considerably increasing.
“There are three private medical colleges – MNR Medical College Hospital, TRR Medical College and Maheswara Medical College – that can handle about 1000 patients. The district hospital can treat about 400 and in area hospitals and private hospitals we can handle 1,500 to 2,000 patients. The only thing is, we have to handle manpower properly. We can treat patients at area hospitals at Zaheerabad, Patancheru and Narayanakhed with 100 beds,” said a doctor on condition of anonymity.
“There are more than 20 ventilators kept unused in the government district hospital despite prevailing pandemic situation,” the doctor told The Hindu .
“We are ready to handle as many patients as possible. Our problems were taken to the notice of Collector M. Hanumantha Rao who promised to address the issue,” Dr. Raju Goud of Sairam Hospitals said. Some private hospitals in Warangal have oxygen supply for two to three days only. Doctors said that some private hospitals have stopped taking more patients since they are running short of oxygen.
However, Warangal Urban district authorities said that there was no dearth of the resource at government-run Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Hospital and that one tanker each was received on Wednesday and Thursday for supply to government and private hospitals there and in the surrounding districts.
