Butwal Sub-metropolis has started free oxygen service targeting the infected in isolation within the sub-metropolis. The Oxygen Bank has been set up by a team of health workers to provide services including oxygen to the infected people who have respiratory problems.
The Ministry of Health and Population is planning to bring 20,000 empty cylinders from China. The ministry is planning to bring 20,000 cylinders from China to prevent shortage of oxygen cylinders in the treatment of Covid-19 patients. Ministry spokesperson Dr Jageshwar Gautam said the cylinders would arrive from China next week.
Mayor Shivaraj Subedi inaugurated the Oxygen Bank at the Sub-metropolitan premises today. He informed that oxygen cylinders, vehicles carrying cylinders, ambulances carrying patients and health workers have been kept in readiness at the sub-metropolitan office premises and arrangements have been made to provide services as soon as information comes from isolation.
Earlier, the people’s representatives used to go door-to-door carrying Ayurvedic medicine to boost the morale of the infected. After the second wave of coronation spread, the demand for oxygen has increased and a new arrangement has been made for the team including health workers to deliver the cylinders. Ambulance, in the first phase, one hundred cylinders, a vehicle carrying oxygen and a vehicle carrying health workers have been kept in readiness.
The Oxygen Bank has been started by the sub-metropolis after the news of the death of an infected person due to lack of ICU beds in Butwal Hospital started coming continuously. Infections in the second wave of corona require ICU beds and oxygen therapy. The sub-metropolis has launched a new program in the country targeting those who are forced to die due to lack of oxygen after the death of some infected people in Butwal due to lack of oxygen ICU beds.
Dr Jageshwar Gautam said that there was no shortage of oxygen in the country but there was a problem of lack of cylinders. “We don’t have a shortage of oxygen gas,” he said. The ministry has instructed the hospital to be in a state of readiness for easy management of oxygen.
The ministry has requested the hospital and the general public not to hold empty cylinders. Oxygen plants have been connected to 30 hospitals across the country in Nepal. The hospital has the capacity to fill 2,549 cylinders daily, the ministry said. Liquid oxygen tanks have also been installed in some hospitals. The hospital has the capacity to fill more than 6,000 and the oxygen vendor can fill 8,000 cylinders daily.
