Amid the rising cases of Covid19 and the rising demand for medical oxygen, the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) has planned to set up a plant to meet the requirements. On the other hand, private hospitals and nursing homes today expressed concerns over problems related to oxygen supply in Siliguri.

According to sources, representatives of the private nursing homes held a meeting with Darjeeling District Magistrate Sashank Sethi and other top administration and health officials in Siliguri, where they raised concerns about problems they had been facing in oxygen supply.

“The officials enquired into the infrastructure, plans and preparations of the hospitals in view of the rising Covid cases, and discussed if the hospitals could increase the number of beds,” a source said, adding that the representatives also told the officials that the oxygen supply was delayed, while some of them had started experiencing “problems.”

“The representatives of the hospitals also told the officials that only a limited amount of medicines like Remdesivir (used to treat Covid-19 patients) were being supplied to Siliguri,” the source added. Later, a district administration official said they held the review meeting with stakeholders, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, NBMCH Principal, drug controller, private hospitals, police, and officials from the health department and the Darjeeling district administration.

Principal secretary NBDD sir chaired the meeting. “Issues discussed ranged from availability of Covid beds and their augmentation in the private sector, augmentation of beds in the district hospital, sub-divisional hospitals and the NBMCH, enforcement activities against non-compliance of mask rule, hoarding, vaccination requirements, ambulance availability, further awareness on telemedicine, protocol on referrals, and timely reporting of Covid-related data from stakeholders,” the official said.

According to sources, the officials told the representatives that the government may not take over private hospitals for the treatment of Covid patients like it did in the first wave last year.

“The officials rather asked the representatives to see if they can come forward and help the government and humanity at large by providing good Covid treatment facilities on their own,” a source said. Oxygen plant proposed at NBMCH Meanwhile, outgoing tourism minister Gautam Deb, who held a separate review meeting regarding the situation at the NBMCH, said a proposal to install an oxygen plant would be sent to the health department.

“It is very important that an oxygen plant is set up at the NBMCH. The proposal is being sent,” Mr Deb said. According to doctors at the NBMCH, though there had been no dearth of oxygen cylinders, the plan had been mooted in view of the present situation. NBMCH sources said around 250 oxygen cylinders of 7.1 cubic-meter capacity each used to be supplied daily, but following the coronavirus pandemic, the demand had shot up to 400.

“Many patients at this referral hospital are treated under ventilation and need consistent oxygen supply. The plan, if approved, will be a major boost,” said a senior doctor at the hospital. A section of doctors, however, said that being a premier hospital in north Bengal, an oxygen plant should have been installed there much earlier. Meanwhile, Mr Deb said plans were afoot to set up a Covid-19 clinic with an Out Patient Department-like facility to diagnose patients and see if they needed hospitalisation.

The 110 beds at the Covid Block at the NBMCH, the only government-run facility in Siliguri, is almost occupied with the rising number of infections, it is learnt. Referring to the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission order that at least 60 percent beds in private nursing homes should be reserved for Covid19 patients, Mr Deb said it should be implemented at the earliest.

He said there should be adequate supply of medicines, including Remdesivir. Later, Mr Deb later held a meeting with members of the Covid Care Network and Siliguri Fights Corona. “The representatives of those organaisations advised effective monitoring of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation wards. They said safe homes should be upgraded with oxygen facilities. At the same time, there should be no unnecessary gathering of people,” Mr Deb said.