PMC to increase oxygen beds at four civic hospitals to meet high demand

The Dalvi hospital has 70 beds, including 60 oxygen and 10 ICU beds, while Khedekar hospital has 50 beds, 45 isolation and five oxygen. There are no oxygen beds at Laygude hospital.

“The PMC has decided to upgrade the infrastructure at four civic hospitals to increase the number of oxygen beds,” said Srinivas Kandul, Chief Engineer in PMC, deputed to develop infrastructure and manage the oxygen supply to civic hospitals.

He said the plan was to increase oxygen beds to 100 in Dalvi hospital, 115 in Naidu hospital, and 40 in Khedekar hospital. “There are no oxygen beds in Laygude hospital. The plan is to start 30 oxygen beds there and later increase it to 60 beds,” Kandul said.

He also said civic hospitals, where oxygen was supplied through cylinders, had to install tanks that could be refilled and were safer to use. “Shortage of cylinders is likely to cause problems in supply, also handling cylinders is risky. Thus, the oxygen tank facility is to be used at some civic hospitals,” he added.

The civic vehicle department would have to arrange a dedicated vehicle and tanker for getting oxygen supply from the manufacturer as and when required, Kandul said.

The PMC had to set up a jumbo facility of 800 beds, including 600 oxygen beds and 200 ICU beds, to treat critical Covid-19 patients at College of Engineering Pune (CoEP). Also, a newly constructed building in Baner was converted to a makeshift hospital with 165 beds, which included 150 oxygen beds and 15 ICU beds.

The new facility was set up as government and private hospitals were reporting more critical patients than their capacity due to which patients were struggling to get beds.