Amid an acute oxygen shortage, a dozen hospitals in the state of Karnataka sent out desperate pleas asking to replenish the live-saving element on Tuesday.
As oxygen stocks dwindled, kin of covid patients were spotted standing outside various hospitals, desperate to get their hands on a portable oxygen cylinder in the absence of an oxygenated bed. The crisis that unfolded 2 days back had family members standing in long queues for days long in order to procure an oxygen cylinder that could save their loved ones.
As per findings, family members of at least 500 patients set out every day in search of ventilator beds in different hospitals of the city, and barely two dozens of them find medical resources to help sustain their loved ones.
In the midst of this chaos, some hospitals in Kalaburagi and Belagavi told the families to carry their own oxygen if they wish to get admitted, reported TOI.
This claim was however denied by the newly appointed Kalaburagi district in-charge minister Murugesh Nirani who emphasized that the district was facing no such shortage in oxygen supply.
Meanwhile in Mandya officials have been exploring options in case they stop getting oxygen aid from Mysuru in face of a crisis. The district at present has all its oxygenated beds occupied and is also making efforts to convert around 14o normal beds into oxygenated ones.
As per sources, several hospitals are struggling to make ends meet even after relying on daily supplies of oxygen. One doctor told TOI that the situation is abysmal and once their main tank is emptied, they will have nothing to fall back on.
The situation is however more frightening for smaller hospitals who unlike the giants do not possess even a storage tank.
This coupled with the recent news of 24 deaths in Chamarajanagar district and over 12 in Kalaburagi due to oxygen shortage has led to a situation of intense panic among the general public.
This development comes as the capital city of Bengaluru records a spike in the Covid positivity rate at 55 percent.
Karnataka on Tuesday reported 44,631 new COVID-19 cases and 292 deaths, taking the caseload and fatalities to 16,90,934 and 16,538 respectively
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