Karnataka struggles to keep Covid-19 patients breathing

Bengaluru: Has Karnataka's fight against the coronavirus run into a massive wall? As a viral respiratory pandemic sweeps the state, the cylinder that breathes for patients seems to be in short supply. Although the situation doesn't seem alarming or desperate, there's shortage of oxygen in Bengaluru's government hospitals.

With more than 2,33,283 reported infections and rising, demand for oxygen has also risen in the state. Hospitals and care centres are consuming up to tonnes of oxygen every day. Bengaluru has emerged as the state's epicentre of the pandemic with the maximum cases at 91,864. The city also recorded more than 1,000 deaths till July 31. In July alone, around 932 deaths were recorded. As the number of cases and fatalities have increased, there is a scarcity of oxygen at all the hospitals.

Patients, including those who are Covid-19 positive and on oxygen support at the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), were shifted to various hospitals in Bengaluru on Monday night as the medical facility was short of oxygen supply. At least, 47 Covid-19 positive patients who were on oxygen support were shifted to other hospitals.

In a statement, the KIMS management blamed it on the manufacturing company for shortage of liquid oxygen and that the government offficials were informed about the situation. The KIMS management had requested for arrangements of liquid oxygen from other suppliers. "We have anticipated that low oxygen volume hypoxic crisis may occur for oxygen dependent patients. For damage control and on precautionary measures, we plan to shift all oxygen-dependent patients to various government and private hospitals," the KIMS said. Meanwhile, the patients were shifted to other government hospitals including Victoria hospital, Bowring and Lady Curzon hospital and Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Sciences (RGICS)

Medical education minister K Sudhakar said 14 patients were shifted to Victoria Hospital, 15 patients were shifted to Bowring hospital and 40 oxygen beds were readied at (RGICS). The KIMS incident comes a week after 17 coronavirus patients were shifted overnight from the CV Raman Nagar government hospital to other medical facilities after a short circuit disrupted oxygen supply. The incident took place on the intervening night of August 14 and 15. "There are 80,643 active Covid cases in the state. Only 0.86% of the infected people are receiving treatment in the ICU. The infrastructure for treating the infected is upgraded regularly and there is no shortage. The government's first priority is to ensure that all patients in the state receive proper treatment. We are willing to extend support to private hospitals to ensure that patients get the necessary treatment," the minister asserted.

"During the crisis all government officials and authorities immediately responded to our call and supported us by joining hands with the management in this hour of crisis by saving the lives of the patients," the statement said.

As the pandemic is spreading and with creaky public health infrastructure, lack of enough piped oxygen supplies can lead to a lot of avoidable deaths, doctors fear. 

Who is responsible for this?

Lack of facilities in quarantine centres

♦ May 27: BBMP designates several hotels in the city as quarantine centres. Covid-19 patients complain of lack of facilities

Doctor raises alarm over PPE kits, N95 masks

♦ July 3: Amulya C Gowda at KIMS hospital was tested positive due to faulty PPE kits. She raises an alarm over the shortage of N-95 masks and faulty PPE kits in the hospital. She was silenced. Subsequently, she contracted the virus

Patient waits for ambulance that came late, dies

♦July 4: A patient in Hanumanth Nagar died waiting for an ambulance

HBS Hospital Doctor cries no staff in a video

♦ July 6: HBS hospital MD Dr Taha Mateen shoots a video, cries doctors not attending to duties, appeals to government to invoke ESMA

Victoria hospital staff protest over facilities

♦ July 20: Workers employed with the hospital protest outside the building, demand better facilities. Subsequently, 10 housekeeping staff contract the virus. The NIMHANS staff too protested over lack of faclities

Three Hospitals don't admit, doctor dies

♦ July 24: Dr Manjunath, a government doctor, turned away Rajashekar, BGS Global and Sagar Hospitals. He shifted to BMCRI where he died on July 24.

No ventilator bed, sanitation worker dies

♦ July 27: Shilpa Prasad, a sanitation worker employed with the BBMP succumbed to Covid after her family was unable to find a bed. She was finally admitted to the BR Ambedkar hospital. The family members alleged that though she needed ventilator support, the lack of it led to her death.State struggles to keep