The National Referral Hospital in Thimphu has 1,200 oxygen cylinders in stock to ensure it doesn’t run out of supply amidst the increasing number of COVID-19 positive cases in the region. Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated global oxygen demand and made the delivery of oxygen supplies more urgent than ever. According to the World Health Organisation, the need for oxygen has increased to 1.1 million cylinders in low to middle-income countries alone.
The medical superintendent of the national referral hospital said, all the 21 COVID-19 positive patients in the isolation ward in Thimphu are in stable condition with none requiring an oxygen cylinder as of now. He added in the event of a massive outbreak within the country, there is no problem with the supply of oxygen cylinders.
The Medical Superintendent of the National Referral Hospital Dr Gosar Pemba said, “In addition to making beds and other things available, we have adequate oxygen cylinders which can be used to provide oxygen to the patients. In addition to cylinders, we also have our own 26 oxygen concentrators, these are machines that produce oxygen. So especially for those patients who require not a very high flow, we can use oxygen concentrators. And also our oxygen comes from Pasakha, Phuentshogling. So it’s quite safe for us since the oxygen plant is within Bhutan.”
The national referral hospital procures oxygen every two to three days from the two oxygen plants in Pasakha and Gelegphu. The hospital uses 76 oxygen cylinders every day and approximately Nu 7 M worth of oxygen cylinders every year.
Oxygen is an essential medicine used to care for patients at all levels of the healthcare system, including in surgery, heart failure, pneumonia and maternal and child care among others. According to the WHO, 15 per cent of COVID-19 patients require medical oxygen because of breathing difficulties. The ministry is also working out plans to ensure there is no shortage of oxygen cylinders in hospitals across the country.
Sonam Pem
