FAISALABAD: A drip set has been used to provide oxygen supply to a critical Covid-19 patient at the Allied Hospital ward as the doctors are grappling with shortage of equipment.

A patient needs 10 to 15 litre oxygen in a minute and one can imagine what will be the amount of the oxygen a patient will get through a drip set needle, a doctor says adding this practice means “we want to kill rather save the patients”.

A negligible amount of oxygen is used by the patient through the drip set.

On the other hand, the patients are also purchasing oxygen masks from the market rather than getting this facility from the Allied Hospital administration.

Allied Hospital doctors grappling with shortage of equipment

These issues surfaced when the doctors of the medicine department staged a protest demonstration outside the Faisalabad Medical University (FMU) vice chancellor’s office on Monday.

They were protested against insufficient facilities at the hospital.

Doctors say seniors [at the FMU] are rarely visiting the Allied Hospital emergency and other wards to ascertain the facts.

“We have been requesting the administration to improve the facilities like increase in the number of beds for the treatment of the coronvirus patients and oxygen supply to them,” one of the medics says.

He says the situation is turning from bad to worse as the people are purchasing oxygen masks from the market. “Owing to shortage of facilities we had to use the drip pipe and its needle to provide oxygen to a patient.”

He says easing of lockdown in Ramazan had complicated the situation as the number of coronavirus patients have increased drastically and “we have been finding it difficult to tackle the situation and save the lives of masses due to the shortage of required gadgets”.

“We have gone to the office of the vice chancellor to apprise him of the entire situation the patients, their attendants and doctor fraternity is facing at the medicine emergency and the wards as well. A professor tried to stop us from meeting the VC compelling the doctors to stage a protest demonstration outside the VC office,” he says.

Talking to Dawn, Young Doctors Association Faisalabad chapter secretary Dr Adnan Shakir says during the meeting with the VC, doctors had apprised him of the entire situation and asked him to ensure required facilities. “It was shocking for all of us when [VC] Dr Zafar Chaudhry said he is not aware that the hospital has been facing shortage of oxygen masks, beds and the oxygen as well.”

He says the VC has bought two to three days to ensure facilities after consultation with the senior faculty.

Another doctor says one can imagine what will be the condition of the patient who is getting oxygen through a drip set. “We had exercised this practice sensing the condition of the patient and due to shortage of the required facilities.”

He says doctors are making their level best to save lives of critical patients but lack of facilities is landing such patients in trouble.

An FMU official requesting anonymity says the administration has been trying its level best to ensure crucial facilities for patients. He says the issues raised by the doctors will be examined.

“It is possible that young doctors had used a drip set to give a tough time to the administration.”

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2020