Urgent Appeal. Updated, resent.
To all those, where saving lives Matter.
The Current Pandemic with COVID-19 second wave seems to have overwhelmed us. In my 40 years of Practice as a Senior Cardiologist, Critical Care Intensivist & Physician never seen so much Desperation & Helpless situation with Hospitals Packed, now refusing Admissions for want of Oxygen, Medicines. Frantic relatives are running for Oxygen & buying from Unscrupulous agents. A Jumbo Oxygen Cylinder is being purchased for ₹1600 ( Earlier Officially 230-270 now increasing daily upto 400+, in addition to escalating Transportation costs which includes waiting in Queue for > 12 hours).I am aware of Govt’s efforts in Air lifting Huge Oxygen generating plants , Transport Aircraft & Goods Trains ferrying Oxygen. Will it suffice for a 130 crores Population now with Maximum Infection rate globally ?
At Nashik unfortunately we were ranking first in country in percentage of Positive cases.
If I could make a Suggestion which could make a difference.
Currently > 90% of cases are being managed by Mid Segment hospitals traditionally known for Quality, Affordability & Ethics being Doctors owned
1. Make available Freely Oxygen Manufacturing Units for Small hospitals by a Global Tender of companies who could install & give After Sales service. We could even deposit the entire amount with Govt Agencies for same.
2. Current requirement for a Standard Mid Size Hospital would be 30 Jumbo Cylinders/ day or ~ 150 cc Oxygen/ min round the Clock . These require only 10 x 10 feet space, require only electricity to operate, generates oxygen from Air, and can also be installed on Terrace of a Hospital Building .
3. Current cost of a oxygen generator such as above is 1.5 lakhs / Jumbo Cylinder. So for a mid size Hospital as above the Investment of ₹45 lakhs +18 %GST is unaffordable, not Viable. ( few manufacturers for reference who have near Monopoly are Airox ( HQ in Aurangabad, & Atlas- Copco Pune both in Maharashtra),maybe few other.
4. A Govt Subsidy on Purchase of such Emergency Oxygen Generators be it Competitive Pricing from Global Tenders, Tax benefit, GST reduction will only lead to Thousands of Self Supporting Units , reducing pressure on system and long term solution.
5. With Administration which Manages < 10% of patients ( Govt , Municipal Corporations ) comes with daily Orders, Supervisors and charge structures where one just cannot treat a Serious patient, are being refused by many. There are no 2 way dialogues between Administrators & Hospitals, except one way orders & Warnings to a Overstretched, Fatigued Medical Fraternity.
6. Finally, Make Vaccination open both paid or through currently managed via centralised system . We have a Dismal percentage of population vaccinated . Many are yet reluctant to take flu shot. If desperate people are spending in Thousands on single Vial of Remdesvir , why not spend few hundreds to purchase a Flu shot save their family. In Pvt sector where we have volunteered to give COVID vaccine at cost of purchase, free from our side have Cold chain maintenance facilities could rapidly vaccinate the whole / most population.
Up till now 37% of Health care workers have received vaccination . Of general population only 1.6%have Two doses, Vs Israel 55.3% ( USA) 27.8%. Death in a vaccinated person is rare.
You Sir / Madam as a Influential Authority could Guide take urgent Appropriate steps, to stop / reverse the tide.
Would always be ready to Associate & Work
Kindly reply
Dr. Vinod Vijan DM, MD
VIJANHOSPITAL & RESEARCH CENTRE.
9822025353
www.vijanhospital.com