Siliguri to have oxygen parlours: Municipal Corporation to allow people to use them on production of prescriptions

SNS, SILIGURI, 20 MAY 2021: The Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) is coming up with an oxygen parlour for the people.

The chairperson of the Board of Administrators (BoA) of the civic body, Gautam Deb, today said they had sought 30 medical oxygen cylinders from three liquid oxygen manufacturers.

"We will buy those cylinders from there for the oxygen parlour. The SMC will provide the cylinders to people upon production of the prescription," Mr Deb said.

Sources said the parlour will be meant for use by those who are suffering from breathlessness and who report a drop in the oxygen level.

According to Mr Deb, they had also talked to the manufacturers about whether their capacities could be increased.

BJP MLAs for oxygen plants with state initiative

At a time when charges have been levelled against the Centre for non-approval of the Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants for medical oxygen for hospitals in the state, the BJP MLA of Siliguri, Shankar Ghosh, said the state government should take initiatives on its own to set up such plants without criticising the central government.

Mr Ghosh and Matigara Naxalbari MLA Anandamay Barman visited the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital to take stock of the situation today.

"What we came to know is that Covid patients cannot be augmented more at the NBMCH if the oxygen capacities are not increased. We are wondering why the state government is not taking initiatives to set up the oxygen plants without only depending on the Centre. It will help increase the number of beds," Mr Ghosh said.

Mr Deb has alleged that the proposed PSA plant at the NBMCH could not be made operational due to non-approval from the Centre.

Meanwhile, Mr Ghosh requested the NBMCH authorities expedite work on building a six-storied super specialty block. The Union health ministry had approved the project worth more than Rs 150 crore in 2014 for the construction of the super-specificity wing.

Deb visits private musing homes

BoA members led by Mr Deb today visited the Maharaja Agrasen Hospital and Avalon Hospital, two private health facilities, to look into whether the nursing homes are implementing decisions taken in recent meetings. He said they were supervising whether private hospitals have been following the rate structure fixed by the state government, and if they are accepting the Swasthya Sathi card and also displaying the bed status.

Farming a spike in Covid19 cases, the administration has received a spate of complaints, including overcharging, irregularities in bills, lack of transparency over beds available for patients, against many nursing homes. Mr Deb has held meetings and alerted the nursing home authorities and asked them to follow the guidelines set by the state government. He had earlier visited two nursing homes. The Darjeeling district administration has also set up a six-member task force to look into those issues.

Mr Deb said they would visit other private health care facilities too.

Covid ward starts at hospital

A 20-bed Covid-19 ward opened at the Siliguri District Hospital today. The bed capacity is 40 in the ward.

455 new Covid cases in Darjeeling district

Darjeeling district, meanwhile, recorded 455 new Covid 19 cases. The Siliguri Municipal Corporation area, including those under Jalpaiguri district, logged 249 cases.

A total of 112 cases were found in Matigara, 60 in Naxalbari, 19 in Kurseong Municipality, 18 in Sukna, 17 each in Kharibari and Phansidewa, eight in Bijanbari, seven each in Mirik and Takdah. five in Sukhia Pokhari and three cases in Mirik Municipality, sources said.

Health department officials said 237 Covid patients recovered in the last 24 hours.

10 Covid patients die

Ten persons, who had tested positive for Covid-19, died in Siliguri. Nine of them died at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, while another died at a private hospital, sources said.

Food distribution for Covid-hit families

The BoA today distributed dry food among 300 families of people who have tested positive for Covid-19. Mr Deb and other board members handed over food packets and vegetables that could last one month among officials of five boroughs to be distributed among the Covid-hit families under the civic body. He said the distribution will be done for other families as well.

The essentials include 5 kg rice, pulse, potatoes, onion, cooking oil, salt, turmeric powder, soyabean, milk, sugar, tealeaf, biscuits, soap, tooth paste, and toothbrush, it is learnt.