In the wake of sharp increase in the demand for oxygen for Covid patients, deputy commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma on Saturday set up an audit committee to monitor oxygen consumption in the district.
The 11-member committee will be headed by AETC-2 Damanjeet Singh Mann, with a representative of the commissioner of police, Khanna and Ludhiana Rural SSPs, deputy medical commissioner Dr Mohinder Singh, district family and welfare officer Dr SP Singh, District Industries Centre general manager, ZLA Dr Kulwinder Singh, anaesthetician Dr Sheenu Gupta, drug inspectors Roop Preet Kaur, Sandeep Kaushik, Amit Lakhan Pal and Lajwinder Kaur as its members.
The committee will regularly review the consumption and balance stock of oxygen at hospitals and other health institutions. It will also ensure that the use of oxygen for the management of serious Covid-19 patients is as per prescribed treatment protocols, besides checking that oxygen is not being used for any industrial purpose. A report will be submitted to the DC daily.
The deputy commissioner said with the sudden surge of serious Covid cases, the oxygen demand had also increased unprecedentedly, so it was necessary that its stocks and consumption were closely rationalised.
{{/usCountry}}The deputy commissioner said with the sudden surge of serious Covid cases, the oxygen demand had also increased unprecedentedly, so it was necessary that its stocks and consumption were closely rationalised.
{{/usCountry}}He also asked hospitals to use oxygen only for serious and critical patients, and warned hoarders of severest action.
Another committee to check elective surgeries
Following reports that some hospitals are still conducting elective surgeries despite a ban, the deputy commissioner has set up another committee for physical inspection of hospitals and punitive action against violators.
Through another order, he said a team had also been set up to penalise those involved in black-marketing of Covid treatment drugs, such as remdesivir. The team will submit daily inspection reports by 5pm.
Police deployed at oxygen plants
Meanwhile, to check any attempt of pilferage, police personnel, along with staff of the district administration and health department, have been deployed outside oxygen plants.
Deputy director local government Amit Bambi and joint commissioner of police J Elanchezhian visited the bottling and oxygen separation plants in the district to take stock of the situation.
“Oxygen cylinders will be issued only after verification of documents,” said sub-inspector Jaswinder Singh, who is among the staff deployed at the plants.