A number of hospitals are having difficulties securing oxygen supplies for their patients. For the sake of saving lives, it is urgent to increase oxygen supplies, from both local and foreign manufacturers.
By
KOMPAS TEAM
·5 minutes read
KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO
An ambulance enters the Dr Sardjito Central General Hospital, Yogyakarta, Sunday (4/7/2021). Moments earlier, as many as 63 patients in the hospital died within a day and night when the oxygen supply to the hospital was running low.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The surge in Covid-19 patients has caused an oxygen shortage at a number of hospitals, including Dr. Sardjito Central General Hospital in Sleman regency, Yogyakarta. The shortage of oxygen supplies can be fatal for Covid-19 patients, especially those who require intensive care.
Dr. Sardjito Hospital president director Rukmono Siswishanto communicated the calls for assistance as regards the oxygen supply shortage to the Health Minister, the head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, the Yogyakarta governor and other related parties on Saturday (3/7/2021).
"We are requesting support so that oxygen needs are met, considering that Dr. Sardjito Hospital is a Covid-19 referral hospital," Rukmono said in his letter.
His letter also mentioned that the central oxygen supply system at Dr. Sardjito Hospital had run low on Saturday at 4 p.m. was expected to run out by 6 p.m. In the end, the central oxygen supply was completely depleted on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Legal, Organizational and Public Relations coordinator Banu Hermawan at Dr. Sardjito Hospital added that after the central oxygen supply had run out, the hospital used oxygen cylinders to meet patient needs. The hospital also received oxygen cylinder assistance from several parties, namely the Gadjah Mada University Hospital and the Yogyakarta Regional Police.
Dr. Sardjito Hospital received a supply of liquid oxygen on Sunday at 3:40 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. from Kendal regency, Central Java. The liquefied oxygen was then used to fill the hospital’s central oxygen supply system. Dozens of patients died after the hospital ran out of oxygen.
KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO
Covid-19 patients are being treated in an emergency tent in the courtyard of the Dr Sardjito Central General Hospital, Yogyakarta, Sunday (4/7/2021).
According to information obtained by Kompas, as many as 63 patients at Dr Sardjito Hospital died between Saturday and Sunday morning.
"Regarding the news that 63 patients died, we would like to provide further clarification that this number is cumulative from Saturday morning (3/7) to Sunday morning (4/7) and [that the deceased were] not just patients that needed oxygen or Covid-19 patients,” Rukmono said in a written statement on Sunday.
He explained that 33 patients patients had died after the central oxygen supply ran out on Saturday at 8 p.m. He also mentioned that as many as 33 deceased patients were not Covid-19 patients who needed oxygen.
Different information was obtained from a doctor at Dr. Sardjito Hospital. According to him, some patients’ (oxygen) saturation levels declined and died after the central oxygen supply ran out.
"There\'s definitely a connection. This fact must be resolved. The oxygen supply at Dr. Sardjito Hospital is also still not secure, because it may only last temporarily," said the doctor, who asked not to be named.
Oxygen crisis
The Health Ministry’s director of prevention and control of directly transmitted infectious diseases, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said that a number of hospitals had reported difficulties with their oxygen supplies.
"This has happened because of the large number of patients and capacity-related problems with oxygen production and distribution," she said.
Several hospitals that were experiencing oxygen shortages included PKU Muhammadiyah Hospital Yogyakarta and Al-Islam Hospital Bandung, which had not admitted any new patients since 2 p.m. on Sunday (4/7). The reasons given were that the hospital had run out of oxygen, had a limited supply of medicines and that many of its employees had contracted Covid-19.
This has happened because of the large number of patients and capacity-related problems with oxygen production and distribution.
In Bandung, a number of hospitals were also forced to implement an open-close system to limit the number of patients in the Covid-19 emergency ward (IGD) because of their limited oxygen supply. According to Bandung Municipal Health Office head Ahyani Raksanagara, at least three hospitals in Bandung were implementing the approach.
Kompas/Wawan H Prabowo
Residents queue to refill oxygen cylinders on Jalan Swadarma Raya, Ulujami Village, Pesanggrahan District, South Jakarta, Sunday (4/7/2021). The surge in Covid-19 cases in the last few days has made oxygen demand high, causing a number of oxygen filling stations to run out of stock.
The same thing occurred in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, where a number of referral hospitals were overwhelmed by the number of new patients.
Patients must queue to enter the treatment room where they can receive maximum service, especially supplementary oxygen.
“Some patients are still in the emergency hall, waiting for a room to become available. Nothing [else] can be done, all rooms are occupied," said Bahteramas Regional General Hospital director Hasmuddin in Kendari.
In Surabaya, East Java, Dr. Soetomo Regional General Hospital can no longer admit Covid-19 patients. The Surabaya administration has erected emergency tents for treating Covid-19 patients on the hockey field opposite the hospital.
“The situation at the hospital, especially in the emergency room, is like during wartime. We are really overwhelmed,” said Dr. Soetomo hospital director Joni Wahyuhadi.
Spokesperson Jodi Mahardi for the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment said that the surge in Covid-19 infections was still ongoing. As of Sunday (4/7), the number of Covid-19 cases had increased by 27,233 people, with 555 deaths.
"We are aware that the oxygen supply is limited, so the government will continue to seek oxygen supplies through various means, both from local factories and by preparing imports. Saving people is the main concern,” Jodi told a press conference.
Earlier, coordinating maritime affairs minister Luhut B. Panjaitan explained that the surge in demand for medical oxygen during the pandemic had reached 800 tons per day, a 69.3 percent increase from normal conditions. If the annual oxygen output of 225,000 tons was unable to meet demand, industrial oxygen could be diverted for medical purposes. (AIK/HRS/XTI/RTG/DIT/JAL/BRO/ETA/WER/JOL/NIK/HLN/GIO/AGE/LKT/DIM)
/https%3A%2F%2Fkompas.id%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F07%2F6b193e9e-267c-45ed-a46b-a4aa712b287e_jpg.jpg){kind=logo}
/https%3A%2F%2Fkompas.id%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F07%2Fb2c5fe8b-4373-42cb-ba69-0756b9f63abc_jpg.jpg){kind=logo}
