Panic gripped Critical Care Unit (CCU) and an isolation ward of the Government Medical College and Hospital at Bakshi Nagar when oxygen supply to the infected covid-19 patients went “very low.”
“The low-oxygen supply last night led to panic among the attendants and they allegedly became very aggressive,” a senior official in GMC Jammu told Greater Kashmir.
“The situation further turned tense in the CCU when the body of a covid infected person was lying on the bed and it
was not shifted to the mortuary,” an official source said.
A doctor said that the body was to be shifted as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
The issue again emerged today afternoon, and the administration was trying to fix the problem to ensure high-flow of the oxygen.
“The mechanical wing in the hospital failed to ensure proper supply from the GMC oxygen plant. They should be available round the clock in the hospital. Doctors cannot be held responsible for this,” a senior official in the hospital said.
The official said: “700 filled cylinders (D-Type) are available in the store and there is no shortage of oxygen. It was only mismanagement which led to low-flow of oxygen. At least 200 oxygen concentrators have already been taken by the GMC Jammu.”
Another official said: “The covid-19 patients required high-flow oxygen all the time. We have arranged back up stock with oxygen concentrators.”
Meanwhile, Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education, Atal Dulloo said: “We are providing oximeters to the asymptomatic positive patients, and teams visit them twice in a week.”
“We have sufficient number of 5500 oxygen beds and a total of 400 people remain on oxygen (high-flow oxygen) in J&K,” he said.
Atal Dulloo said: “We have 4% positivity in J&K and there is no community spread. The spike in covid-19 positive cases being witnessed in Jammu because of aggressive sampling.”
He said: “We have made reserves (doctors and paramedical staff) to meet the situation which emerges after doctors and paramedical staff get infected while treating the positive cases. We keep them in quarantine and give them rest.”
“To control its spread, the containment zones must ensure 100 percent testing, isolation and contact tracing of the infected persons to identify them. We should not scare due to increase in covid-19 cases, but must have less motility,” he added.