Oxygen crisis: 11 hospitals in Kathmandu Valley stop admitting new corona patients

‘Installation of oxygen plant in 15 days not possible’

KATHMANDU, May 14:  Five corona patients died due to lack of oxygen at the-Butwal based corona treatment hospital on Wednesday. Hospitals in different parts of the country, including in the Kathmandu Valley, have a similar story to tell. However, the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) does not have the exact number of deaths due to lack of beds and oxygen as the country started being ravaged by the second wave of corona infection. 

Amid the acute crisis of much needed lifesaving oxygen, more than 11 hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley have stopped admitting new corona patients. 

Grande International Hospital and Civil Community and Teaching Hospital in Bhaktapur said they could not admit more infected patients. Similarly, Om Hospital, Norvik Hospital, Medicity Hospital, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), Nepal Medical College, Medicare, Helping Hands Hospital, Himal Hospital and Nepal Bharat Maitri Hospital said that they could not treat more infected patients any longer due to lack of oxygen. They said that new admission would not resume new admissions and regular treatment unless regular supply of oxygen supply is ensured. 

The hospitals said that they could not treat new patients after the COVID-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) introduced the quota system to distribute oxygen cylinders to the hospitals.

Dr. Ravi Shakya, Director of Patan Hospital, complained that CCMC has allocated oxygen quota for  the hospital without considering the pressure of the patients. “The problem has been exacerbated as the distributors are not providing oxygen as per the quota set by the CCMC,” Shakya said, adding that new patients are not admitted though they have beds. 

He said that the government set a quota of 400 oxygen cylinders for Patan Hospital two days ago but the hospital received only 200 cylinders. “The hospital, however, needs at least 500 oxygen cylinders a day to treat both the corona and non-corona patients,” he said. 

According to Rojika Pradhan, administrative head at Alka Hospital, a severe crisis of oxygen has posed a risk to multiple lives. The hospital itself generates 46 cylinders of oxygen a day. “Though we require more than 215 cylinders on a daily basis, we are receiving 50 to 50, which can’t address the needs of patients,” she added. She also said that the quota system is impractical and unscientific. 

Similarly, TUTH, Patan and Bir hospitals also said that the recently introduced quota system has adversely impacted in treating corona patients. 

‘Installation of oxygen plant in 15 days not possible’

Meanwhile, the private hospitals said that installing oxygen plants in 15 days was not possible. Issuing a statement on Thursday, President of Association of Private Health Institutions of Nepal (APHIN), Basant Chaudhary said that the installation is not possible in such a short time as prohibitory orders are in place while international aviation service is also not in operation.

The statement comes in response to the government’s directive issued on Wednesday to the community and private hospitals with more than 100-bed capacity to install oxygen plants in their respective medical facility within the next 15 days. "A plant as per the standard specified by the government costs 2 million rupees with an additional 5 million for infrastructure, which cannot be afforded by all the hospitals in the current situation," reads the statement.

All private hospitals have directed to install oxygen plants to ensure supply of medical oxygen for coronavirus infected patients within 15 days, said assistant spokesperson for Health MInistry, Dr Samir Kumar Adhikari.