Pune: Patients Shifted Out of Sassoon General Hospital Due to Oxygen Supply Problem
Pune, August 30, 2020: At least 250 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients from Sassoon General Hospital will be shifted to the newly opened Jumbo COVID Hospital at the College of Engineering Pune (COEP) ground after a technical problem hampered Oxygen supply in the state-run hospital.The COVID Hospital was built in the new building of Sassoon Hospital during the COVID period. An oxygen plant was immediately set up for patients requiring oxygen and ventilators, as the number of emergency victims increased. However, in the last few days, there has been a technical disruption in oxygen supply.
A decision of shutting the plant down temporarily has been made concerning the high flow oxygen supply that has been creating issues as it was not built according to the ongoing demands, justified authorities from Sassoon hospital.
At present, the COVID care hospital in Sassoon hospital’s new building has a capacity of 120 ventilators and about 350 beds with oxygen supply. However, the number of patients is increasing daily, leading to high demands of oxygen supply. The oxygen is being administered through oxygen cylinders with a supply system called ‘High Flow Nozzle Oxygen.’
A patient is supplied with 6 to 15 litres of oxygen per minute, 30 to 40 litres per minute through a ventilator, and 60 to 70 litres per minute using high flow technology. The oxygen supply system at Sassoon cannot bear the load as oxygen is supplied at a low level due to which supply gets shifted to standby cylinders. To overcome this glitch, the administration has decided to shut down the plant temporarily.
