Centre asks states to hold mock drills at health facilities amid Covid spike in China

The mock drill, which would be held on Tuesday, will focus on the availability of beds, human resources, logistics and the supply chain of medical oxygen.

The earlier spikes in Covid cases, particularly the second wave, had left the country's health infrastructure paralysed, leaving heart-rending scenes of patients struggling to breathe due to lack of medical oxygen and relatives running from pillar to post to find a hospital bed for their loved ones.

The Centre has asked the states and Union Territories to focus on reliable medical oxygen supply in its fresh guidelines for pandemic management amid a massive surge in Covid-19 cases in China.

The Ministry of Health noted on Saturday that Medical oxygen is an important and vital resource in all clinical settings, particularly during pandemic management, it is critical for saving lives of the Covid-19 patients,

“Even though the Covid cases in the country are low and not surging as of now, to face any challenges arising in the future, the operationalisation and maintenance of these medical infrastructures are of utmost importance,” said the advisory.

In a six-point Covid-advisory, the Centre asked the states and UTs to ensure that all PSA plants are working properly and conduct regular mock drills to ensure that they were working properly.

Further, it asked the states to make sure the availability of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) and an uninterrupted supply chain for refilling, take measures for an adequate inventory of oxygen cylinders and backup, and availability of ventilators, BiPAP and SPO2 systems and consumables.

The states and UTs should reinvigorate oxygen control rooms for prompt resolution of oxygen-related issues.

All healthcare facilities utilising oxygen should be onboarded on the ODAS platform for monitoring daily oxygen demand and consumption for smooth implementation.