Mumbai: Bhagwati hospital’s struggle for oxygen may not end entirely

The oxygen trouble continues to keep the administration at Bhagwati hospital on their toes On Sunday the hospital was preparing to shift some of its COVID19 patients to other medical facilities as it was running out of the lifesaving gas But help came in timeOxygen cylinders being loaded and refiled at a private gas company in Mahalaxmi on Sunday PicAshish RajeThe Borivli hospital was one of the first medical facilities scrambling for oxygen about 10 days back It had moved close to 44 patients to hospitals that had oxygen Despite having to frequently deal with shortage of oxygen Bhagwati hospital wonrsquot get an oxygen plant like 12 other civic hospitals in the citylsquoO2 was low on Sunday toorsquoAccording to a local Shiv Sena leader the hospital had planned to shift 20odd COVID19 patients to facilities with ample oxygen supply as its stock was running low If itrsquos stock wasnrsquot replenished by Sunday night the patients could have faced problems the next morningEven the Jogeshwari trauma care centre were in a panic mode for a few hours on Sunday and were preparing for the transfer of some of the patients However by late evening civic officials provided oxygen to the centre A civic official requesting anonymity said ldquoThe two hospitals had limited stock of medical oxygen so we immediately arranged a few cylinders for them Later we were informed that they will also get their refilled oxygen cylinders by the end of Sunday thus averting a crisisrdquolsquoThere is no shortage of O2rsquoBMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said there was no shortage of oxygen and supply was normalThe Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC will be sending Dura cylinders to these two hospitals But it wonrsquot set up an oxygen plant at Bhagwati hospital because the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation PESO has denied permission owing to lack of space said sourcesRajul Patel chairman of the BMC health committee said ldquoOne of the few conditions of the PESO is to have at least 4000 square feet of open area around the oxygen plant for refilling as a safety precaution As Bhagwati hospital doesnrsquot have that kind of space it will have to manage with cylinders and wait for the refillsrdquoJumbo centre to come up near BPCL refineryA jumbo centre is slated to come up in Mumbai near the BPCL refinery at Mahul as the Centre has approved the state governmentrsquos request for the same Fomer CM and Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis tweeted about this The BPCL has agreed to provide oxygen if the compressors are provided by the state government He tweeted ldquoOne more Huge Help Thank you Hon PM Narendra Modiji amp Union Minister dpradhanbjp ji for quick approval to set up a Jumbo Covid Centre near BPCL Refinery Mumbai on MaharashtraGovtrsquos request BPCL Limited has agreed to provide uninterrupted supply of oxygen through their plant Thousands of oxygenated beds will be made available here to treat COVID19 patients Arun Singh Director Marketing BPCL also informed me during telephonic conversation that they are ready to fill oxygen cylinders for GoM if they make available compressor facilities for the samerdquo But the BMC seems to be unaware of this BJP sources said it was a request by the state government and not the civic body