The second wave of Covid-19 has exposed glaring gaps in the country’s health infrastructure and the government’s preparedness in dealing with a crisis that came with enough warning signs. Nowhere is that vacuum more evident than in hospitals across Delhi, Mumbai and other urban centres where people have been struggling for something as basic as medical oxygen.
Patients under home isolation have been unable to get cylinders, and the cost of refilling a cylinder or renting an oxygen concentrator has, in the absence of any regulation, sky-rocketed. Since the second wave began in early February, India has recorded close to 35,000 Covid deaths, but the country hasn’t kept a record of Covid deaths due to oxygen shortage.
Officially, India’s daily oxygen production capacity is 7,127 MT and its medical oxygen requirement has increased by 76 per cent in 10 days from 3,842 MT on April 12 to 6,785 MT on April 22. On paper, that leaves the country with a few hundred metric tonnes still to spare, but state after state has been complaining of acute shortage.
Until 2019, before the pandemic hit the country, India required just 750-800 MT liquid medical oxygen (LMO), the rest was for industrial use. Since April 18 this year, industrial supply has been completely disrupted.
Amid this crippling shortage of oxygen across several states, a video is going viral, on the internet claiming that using a nebuliser without any medicine will help in increasing blood oxygen levels in people, and they don’t have to run around for oxygen cylinders.
The video is being shared widely on the internet with a caption that reads, “Dr Alok from Sarvodaya Hospital Faridabad, has shown an excellent technique using nebuliser to improve the levels of blood oxygen level. In today’s scenario of Oxygen crisis this can save lives of many.”
But, the hospital administration clearly denied any uploading and such video. Futhermore, the hospital had called the claim false and had warned people against it.
“The video has not been backed by any evidence or scientific study, does not reflect any medical advice and is in no way endorsed by Sarvodaya Hospital, Faridabad,” the post said. The post does not add if the person in the video is indeed attached with the hospital.
Dr Arnab Swain, a senior resident (Chest Medicine) at KEM Hospital, Mumbai. Dr Swain, who is on the frontline in our fight against COVID-19, said that it is a false claim.
It is not possible that the nebuliser, with or without medicine, will increase our blood oxygen levels, Dr Swain said.
“The nebuliser turns a liquid medicine into aerosol/mist which when inhaled by the patient, reaches their lungs quickly and provides relief,” he said.
Nebulisers are often used for people with severe asthma or children who aren’t old enough to properly use inhalers. It is also used to loosen the mucus in the lungs.
Therefore, the claim that nebuliser can be used as an alternative to oxygen cylinder is completely false.
