Last Updated on April 27, 2021 at 9:18 am
As more and more people are falling prey to coronavirus, oxygen consumption in Jammu has risen from 20 to 350 cylinders per day. This has set doubts in the minds of people about whether region has enough resources to battle second wave of coronavirus.
Reports mention that oxygen consumption has witnessed manifold increase as number of patients at GMC Jammu has constantly increased for quite some time now. Authorities are making use of Liquid oxygen plant and hospital’s own oxygen plant to supply covid patients who have serious breathing difficulties.
Authorities have been alarmed by the fact that till April 1, only 20 to 30 oxygen cylinders were being used on a daily basis but this need has now increased to around 350 cylinders per day. People are having suspicion that this increase in oxygen demand in Jammu has potential of causing a health crises in the division. Reports say that around three thousand big cylinders are available in stock and out of which, up to 350 cylinders are being used every day.
Atal Dullu, Financial Commissioner of Health and Medical Education Department said that government authorities have ten thousand big and three thousand small oxygen cylinders in stock. Moreover, oxygen generation plants will also be functioning in 23 hospitals by next week.
Jammu and Kashmir has a very limited health infrastructure and if number of patients keeps on increasing then it might cause a health disaster. Medical institutions have many mismanagement issues which are coming to the fore. GMC Jammu has a sanctioned staff strength of 5222 and out of which, 1847 post are lying vacant.
391 faculty posts are sanctioned and out of those 163 posts have not been filled. The staff strength sanctioned under the category of ‘Other Gazetted’ is 459 and out of which 19 posts are vacant.
The approved Para-medical staff strength sanctioned is 933 and 423 such posts haven’t been filled. 284 posts have been sanctioned in the Ministerial staff category and 136 such posts have not been filled. Moreover, there are 535 posts of nursing staff in GMC which are needed to be filled.
Coronavirus pandemic has exposed this mismanagement of posts and other resources in medical institutions.
