Faced with a severe shortage of ICU and general beds the government hospitals in capital Dhaka are struggling to cope with a steady stream of Covid-19 patients, many of them coming from outside the city in critical condition. The rush has filled the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) to the brim and forced the authorities to admit patients more than their capacity. And yet many have been kept in the waiting list for a bed, while others have simply been asked to hunt beds in other hospitals. That includes even the critical patients who need intensive care. Read: Khulna division sees 46 Covid deaths amid deepening crisis According to the Health Department, there are 16 government hospitals in the capital dedicated to Covid patients. Three of these hospitals don’t have any ICU. Seven of the remaining 13 hospitals had no ICU bed empty as of Saturday.    In the remaining six hospitals, only 40 ICU beds were available as of Saturday, said the authorities adding things are changing by hours.   Read Liquid Medical Oxygen and Covid-19 Treatment: Things we need to know The pressure has mounted on the Dhaka hospitals as patients are arriving from other adjoining district hospitals for shortage of ICU facilities there. The few ICU beds are already full. ICU beds are not easily available in the districts. An average of 25 patients need ICU in the hospitals designated for coronavirus in the capital.

Kushtia General Hospital on Tuesday morning reported 13 more Covid-related deaths in 24 hours amid an alarming surge in the number of new infections in the district. Of the deceased, 11 were confirmed Covid patients while the remaining two showed symptoms of the virus, said Dr MA Momen, administrator of Kushtia General Hospital. Read:Kushtia records its highest Covid daily deaths of 21 Besides, 292 people have tested positive for corona in the district in the past 24 hours. "A total of 885 samples were tested during the period," he said. The positivity rate currently stands at 30.30%. Moreover, a total of 274 patients are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital with Covid symptoms. Read:Kushtia sees 20 more Covid-related deaths Dr Tapas Kumar Sarkar, the resident medical officer of the hospital, said patients had to be treated on the floor and in the corridor as there were no beds. "Every day, the number of patients coming to the hospital with corona and symptoms is increasing." Dr Tapas also said the hospital staff are struggling to handle the rising number of Covid patients. Read:Kushtia records its highest daily caseload Meanwhile, there is a possibility of an oxygen crisis in the hospital, he said, adding that most of the admitted patients are being provided with oxygen support. So far, 8,766 people have been infected with the virus in the district, while the death toll from the Covid topped 245. A total of 5,823 people have recovered to date.

At least four patients in Covid-19 ward of Pabna General Hospital have died from the virus in the past 24 hours until Monday, allegedly due to a shortage of oxygen supply. The deceased were identified as Rashida Begum, 70, Rokeya Khatun,70, Nure Alam,67, and Najmul Islam, 72.  Meanwhile, acting assistant director of the hospital, Dr Saleh Mohammad Ali confirmed death of only three patients. READ: Newly wed woman found dead in Pabna, husband held The four people died in 24 hours until 12 pm Monday while undergoing treatment at the hospital. “The hospital is seeing a crisis of oxygen as pressure of Covid patients increased in the last few days. Many had to arrange oxygen cylinders personally. As the oxygen supply was hampered these patients died,” said a senior doctor from the hospital to UNB who didn’t wish to be named. Md Alamgir Hossain, son of deceased Rashida Begum said,” I admitted my mother around noon on Sunday with fever and breathing problems. I’ve requested the authorities almost ten times to arrange oxygen for my mother seeing the shortage at the hospital. Finally my mother breathed her last gasping for oxygen.” “At least three more patients died in front of my eyes gasping for oxygen.” said Alamgir. Meanwhile, Mamun Hossain, brother of a patient admitted in Covid ward complained that the hospital’s management and health services have broken down. “My sister was admitted 12 days back, even as eleven days passed we still haven't received the Covid-19 test result yet. They might be keeping in this ward patients who have recovered”, he said. Regarding the deaths, Dr Saleh Mohammad Ali said, “Most of the patients came at their last stage when there is little left to do for saving them anyway.” Having no central oxygen supply system at the hospital, oxygen was being supplied through a manifold system to patients, which is not enough for the high number of patients and it created the crisis, he said. Civil Surgeon of Pabna, Monisor Chowdhury said, 139 new people were infected with the virus in the last 24 hours. READ: Rape epidemic: 2 held over gang-rape of Pabna woman With this district’s death toll reached 28 while caseload stood at 5,341. District’s infection rate is currently 21.35%, he said.

Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Monday said there is no oxygen crisis in the country. He said this at a briefing at his official residence this morning. Read:Vaccines start arriving in fulfilment of prime minister’s commitment, says Quader "There is no oxygen crisis in the country. There may be a lack of coordination somewhere, but the Prime Minister has already directed the Ministry of Health to take appropriate steps to ensure supply by strengthening coordination in areas where oxygen supply is urgent." Quader said the BNP's efforts to politicise the Corona issue had utterly failed.   He said that the collection of vaccines with the highest priority for the country is a clear reflection of the deep commitment of the Sheikh Hasina government to the people of the country. Read:Quader calls for accepting corona-induced lockdown hardships Obaidul Quader said that about 45 lakh doses of vaccine have already arrived in the country and more vaccines will come in time. He said Bangladesh would succeed in procuring the required number of vaccines under the Prime Minister's diplomatic skills and visionary leadership, InshaAllah. Noting that there is no alternative to building awareness to curb the upward trend of infection, the bridge minister said, "We should take utmost precautions to survive during this pandemic situation." Read: Quader urges party members to help people during lockdown Seven people died in the space of roughly an hour and 20 minutes, allegedly due to an oxygen supply failure in Satkhira Medical College Hospital on the evening of June 30. They were undergoing treatment at the ICU and the CCU units of the hospital. Two probe committees have been formed to investigate the causes behind their deaths.

A probe committee formed to investigate Thursday's incident at Satkhira Medical College that saw 7 Covid patients die allegedly due to a crisis in the hospital's central oxygen supply, has been granted more time to submit the report on Sunday. Dr Kazi Arif Ahmed, head of the hospital’s medicine department and leader of  the probe committee, said, as Friday and Saturday were government holidays, the committee has asked to extend the deadline for a week from earlier ordered three days to conduct the investigation properly. On Thursday evening, a sudden decrease in the central oxygen flow of the hospital allegedly caused the deaths of seven patients. Also read: Covid-19: Lockdown in Satkhira extended by a week However, the hospital authority admitted only four deaths. Meanwhile, two probe committees have been formed to investigate the incident, one by the hospital authority led by Dr Kazi Arif Ahmed and another by the divisional health office director Dr Rasheda Sultana. Administrator of the hospital Dr Qudrat-E-Khuda said the probe committee has been granted a week more to submit the report, so now both the committees have seven days for investigating. Also read: Lockdown: People continue to defy health guidelines in Satkhira The committee from the divisional office already visited the hospital Sunday and started their probe, he said. Dr Kazi Arif Ahmed said,"We have collected written statements of the administrator, principal and 22 health officials present at the hospital that day.” “The actual cause of deaths will be confirmed after completing the overall investigation,” he said.

Kushtia General Hospital on Wednesday morning reported eight more Covid-related deaths in 24 hours amid an alarming surge in the number of new infections in the district. Of the deceased, six were confirmed Covid patients while the remaining two showed symptoms of the virus, said Dr MA Momen, administrator of Kushtia General Hospital. Read:Covid-19 claims 9 more lives in Kushtia Besides, 189 people have tested positive for corona in the district in the past 24 hours. "A total of 681 samples were tested during the period," he said. The positivity rate currently stands at 28.42%, which was 33.89% a day before. Read: 8 more Covid patients die at Kushtia hospital Moreover, a total of 194 patients are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital with Covid symptoms. Dr Momen, however, said there is no oxygen crisis in the hospital at present. "Now on, it will be possible to refill upto 100 oxygen cylinders in Kushtia itself on a daily basis." Read:Covid-19: 1.5-month-old in Kushtia gets infected Kushtia Civil Surgeon HM Anwarul Islam said that many patients died in the district hospitals before their test reports came. "One of the reasons being people not obeying the Covid-safety protocols and restrictions," he said. So far, 7,726 people have contracted Covid in the district, while the death toll from the virus currently stands at 202. A total of 5,485 people have recovered to date.

Kushtia General Hospital reported nine more Covid-19 related deaths in 24 hours until 9 am on Monday amid an alarming surge in infections and deaths in different parts of the country. Among the deceased, seven were Covid positive while the remaining had symptoms, said Dr MA Momen, administrator of Kushtia General Hospital. Read:Covid-19: 1.5-month-old in Kushtia gets infected Besides, 172 people came out positive in 445 tests in the district in the last 24 hours. A total of 183 patients  are currently undergoing treatment in the hospital with Covid symptoms. So far, 7,357 people have been infected with the virus in the district and the death toll from the virus reached 189. Read: Kushtia enters week of strict lockdown till June 27 A total of 5,340 people have recovered to date. Dr MA Momen said the hospital staff are struggling to handle the rising number of number of Covid patients . There is a possibility of oxygen crisis in the hospital, he said adding that most of the admitted patients  provided with oxygen support. Read: Week-long lockdown in Kushtia municipality areas to contain Covid spread Meanwhile, a circular has been issued to extend the ongoing lockdown in Kushtia district till July 1. Earlier on June 20, the lockdown was imposed in Kushtia district till June 27.

The office of the Principal Scientific Adviser of Indian Government on Sunday said ''Project O2 for India'' has been initiated to ensure supply of critical raw materials such as zeolites, setting up of small oxygen plants, and manufacturing of compressors. according to a report of NDTV. The second wave of COVID-19 saw an increase in demand for medical oxygen in different parts of the country, it said in a statement. Read: Supreme Court steps in to resolve India's oxygen crisis While meeting the current demand, manufacturing medical oxygen also became important to ensure the country has adequate supply in the future. "Project O2 for India" of the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser is to enable stakeholders working to augment the country's ability to meet this rise in demand for medical oxygen. "Under Project O2 for India, a National Consortium of Oxygen is enabling the national level supply of critical raw materials such as zeolites, setting up of small oxygen plants, manufacturing compressors, final products, i.e.,oxygen plants, concentrators, and ventilators," according to the statement. Read: 24 die in southern India hospital due to oxygen shortage The consortium is not only looking forward to providing immediate to short-term relief but also working to strengthen the manufacturing ecosystem for long-term preparedness. A committee of experts has been evaluating critical equipment such as oxygen plants, concentrators, and ventilators from a pool of India-based manufacturers, start-ups, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The manufacturing and supply consortium includes Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL); Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE); C-CAMP, Bengaluru; IIT Kanpur; IIT Delhi; IIT Bombay, IIT Hyderabad; IISER, Bhopal; Venture Center, Pune; and more than 40 MSMEs, it said. Read Why Shouldn’t You Store Oxygen Cylinder at Home During COVID-19 Pandemic? The consortium has started to secure CSR/philanthropic grants from organisations like USAID, Edwards Life sciences Foundation, Climate Works Foundation, etc, it said. Hope Foundation, American Indian Foundation, Walmart, Hitachi, BNP Paribas, and eInfoChips are procuring oxygen concentrators and VPSA/PSA plants as part of their CSR efforts to aid the consortium's work. NMDC Ltd has agreed to fund the procurement of raw materials like zeolite for the manufacturers in the consortium, it added. Read Oxygen plant to be set up at Osmani Medical College Hospital Source: NDTV

As Bangladesh grapples with the second wave of coronavirus infections with hospitals overstretched, one major concern that has arisen is the availability of medical grade oxygen for critical Covid-19 patients. Amid the growing worries over a steady supply of the lifesaving element, Health Minister Zahid Maleque has assured the people of the country that there will not be any shortage of oxygen unless the situation worsens dramatically. His clarification came at a time when India, struggling with an acute oxygen crisis, stopped its export to Bangladesh.  Also read: DNCC Market Hospital to get 200 new ICU beds: Health Minister "We don’t import oxygen from India all year long. We needed to import oxygen from India during a huge upsurge in Covid cases. But if the situation remains stable, there’ll be no shortage of oxygen in the country," he told UNB. Maleque said Bangladesh is not that much dependent on liquid oxygen. “In fact, we rely more on gas oxygen. So, even if we face a shortage of liquid oxygen, it won't be a big deal," he added. Medical grade oxygen is needed for treating critical Covid-19 patients who develop hypoxaemia – the shortage of oxygen in the blood – which is one of the main causes of death. The minister said the demand for medical-grade oxygen is currently around 100-150 tonnes. The government produces 250 tonnes of gaseous and 150-200 tonnes of liquid oxygen every day. The private sector also produces around 40-50 tonnes of oxygen a day. "So, unless there’s any dramatic upsurge in Covid-19 cases which forces the demand to double overnight, we’ll be fine," he assured. He said the government has asked hospitals to increase the use of gaseous oxygen in order to avoid misuse of liquid oxygen.  Also read: No crisis of oxygen in hospitals: Health Minister   Minister Maleque said the health authorities are in constant touch with industries so that liquid oxygen can be collected on short notice when needed. ‘Minor oxygen crisis’ However, Senior Secretary Md Anisur Rahman of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division admitted that there is a minor oxygen crisis in the country following the Indian export ban. "We’ve told private companies that produce liquid oxygen to supply it to the hospitals and clinics at the moment," he said. Rahman said there is nothing to worry as the government will deal with the situation very swiftly. Diverting oxygen to hospitals Chief Inspector of Explosives Department Abul Kalam Azad told UNB that they asked five oxygen producing companies on April 23 to cut off the supply of oxygen for industrial use and direct it to hospitals. According to the letter, hospitals and clinics are in need of rapid medical oxygen supply as the number of Covid-19 patients has recently increased. It was sent to Linde Bangladesh, Spectra Oxygen Limited, Islam Oxygen Limited, DR Industries Limited, and M/S Bangladesh Industrial Gas Limited. Also read: No alternative to increasing hospital capacity: Health Minister According to sources at the health ministry, the daily production capacity of Linde Bangladesh is 90 tonnes, Islam Oxygen Ltd 40 tonnes and Spectra 37 tonnes. Saiqa Mazed, General Manager (Human Resources) of Linde Bangladesh, told UNB that they are not giving it to industries following the government’s directive. “The whole amount now goes directly to hospitals and clinics,” she said, hoping that if the number of Covid cases remain as it is, there won't be any shortage of medical oxygen.  When asked about oxygen import from a source other than India, she said it would be expensive since Bangladesh can bring oxygen from the neighbouring country by road.

The oxygen crisis in the Indian capital is escalating with each passing day. A week after 50 patients on ventilator died at two private hospitals in Delhi due to "low pressure oxygen", 12 more people lost their lives at another leading medical facility in the national capital on Saturday after it ran out of the life-saving gas. Batra Hospital said the Covid care facility ran out of oxygen at 11.45am. "Supply came at 1.30pm (a second tanker reached at around 4pm). But we were out of oxygen for 1 hour and 20 mins. By the time supplies came, 12 people, including a doctor, were dead. Most of them were Covid patients on life support," the hospital said in a statement. The deceased doctor has been identified as RK Himthani, the head of the hospital's gastroenterology unit. "He was also a Covid patient undergoing treatment at the hospital. Over 200 patients at the medical facility are still in a critical condition," a spokesperson for  Batra told the media. Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia took to Twitter to express his anguish at the loss of lives. "The central government) Friday told the Supreme Court that some 10,000 MT oxygen is produced daily in the country, which is quite surplus to the daily needs of 7500MT. Delhi needs 976MT, yet Delhi's quota is 490MT and supplies only 312MT. Why?" Also read: 25 die in Delhi hospital due to oxygen shortage India's main opposition Congress party's chief Sonia Gandhi too lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government for the deteriorating Covid-19 situation in the country. In a video message, the 74-year-old called for a nationwide strategy to fight the surge in Covid cases in India. "Testing should be increased across the country and medical oxygen and other resources should be arranged on war footing. Free vaccination should be arranged for all the citizens so that people can be saved," she said. "It's high time that the federal and state governments wake up and fulfil their responsibilities. Migration of the labourers should be stopped. A minimum of Rs 6,000 should be added to their accounts till the crisis is over," Gandhi said in the video message shared by the Congress on the party's official Twitter handle. Gandhi's call for a nationwide strategy and the 12 deaths at the Delhi hospital came on a day when India registered a record four lakh cases in a span of 24 hours, for the first time after reporting over three lakh daily infections for nine days in a row. Delhi alone has been logging nearly 20,000-25,000 Covid cases daily for the past fortnight. Also read: Indian capital gasps for oxygen In the past one week, at least 50 Covid patients on life support have died at two leading Delhi hospitals due to oxygen shortage. On April 24, Jaipur Golden Hospital, a dedicated Covid medical facility in Delhi, announced the death of 25 Covid patients in 24 hours due to "low-supply oxygen" to critical patients on ventilator. A day before, another leading hospital in Delhi also said in a statement that 25 patients lost their lives in 24 hours due to an acute shortage of oxygen. "25 sickest patients have died in the last 24 hours. Oxygen will last another two hours. Major crisis likely. Lives of 60 sickest patients at risk, need urgent intervention," Sir Ganga Ram Hospital had said. It may also be mentioned here that as many as 24 Covid patients on ventilator at a government hospital in the western state of Maharashtra died some 10 days ago after their oxygen supply ran out following leakage of the life-supporting gas from a tanker. The tanker was brought to Zakir Hussain Municipal Hospital in Nashik district to replenish the cylinders.