For home isolation patients, oxygen concentrator bank opened in Bathinda

Sukhmeet Bhasin
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, May 24

The Bathinda district administration through District Red Cross Society has set up an oxygen concentrator bank in the city for Covid-19 patients who are in home isolation.

The Red Cross will provide oxygen concentrators at a rent of Rs 200 per day for 10 days to the patients, who will have to return the equipment after their recovery so that others can use it.

“People are facing problems in getting oxygen cylinders in home isolation and even the price of oxygen concentrator is also too high, which is not affordable by everyone, so to help them, administration has started this,” said an official.

Disclosing this here today, Deputy Commissioner B Srinivasan said that in order to get the oxygen concentrator machine, it would be necessary for the treating doctor or the hospital to give undertaking that the family members of the patient have been provided complete information about the operation of this machine.

He also clarified that in case of any difficulty in operating the machine, the monitoring of the machine would be the responsibility of the doctor or para medical staff of the same hospital.

Elaborating further, B Srinivasan also said that the oxygen concentrator would be provided for 10 days and the rent would be Rs 200 per day.

A refundable security of Rs 10,000 would be required to be deposited with the District Red Cross Society on the spot to get the machine.

For more information about the machine one can contact District Secretary Red Cross Society, Darshan Kumar on mobile number 98726-66803 and Senior Assistant Vidya Sagar on mobile number 98145-99501.

Normally, people need oxygen concentrators for a few days or a week or two, but they have to spend a lot to purchase a new one.

The bank will ease the pain of such patients and their family members.

Information gathered by The Tribune revealed that a month back, an oxygen concentrator that normally costs about Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 is now being sold for a whopping price of Rs 70,000 to Rs 85,000.

It is a life-saving instrument meant for home use by those Covid-19 patients, whose oxygen saturation dips below 80 mm of Hg.

A chemist while talking to The Tribune said the demand for oxygen concentrators had gone through the roof. Those who had the stock were selling it at skyrocketing prices, he said.