Health Ministry instructs all hospitals to keep oxygen cylinders standby to facilitate Covid-19 treatment

KATHMANDU, May 3: The Ministry of Health and Population has instructed all the hospitals to arrange adequate quantity of oxygen cylinders to facilitate the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

With second wave of Covid-19 plaguing the country, more and more hospitals were reported to be running out of ICU beds and supplementary oxygen facilities. 

Ministry’s deputy spokesperson Dr Samir Kumar Adhikari shared that all the hospitals were asked in writing to put in place oxygen facilities to treat the infected ones as the cases of second wave are being reported in alarming number lately.

The Ministry has also instructed the hospitals not to keep any oxygen cylinders on hold and refill them timely. The public have been urged not to stock the oxygen cylinders unnecessarily.

There are 30 hospitals having their own oxygen plants. The plants could refill 2,549 cylinders on a daily basis, according to the Ministry. Some hospitals have installed liquid oxygen tank as well. 

Adhikari shared that oxygen vendors could refill around 8,000 cylinders while hospitals could refill over 6,000 oxygen cylinders. Although the country has a huge amount of oxygen gas, there was shortage of oxygen cylinder in the country, the Ministry said. ---