Among the largest hospitals in Asia, the administration of JJ Hospital will be put to test on Tuesday.
Hospital authorities are trying to replace the stolen connecting pipe
Among the largest hospitals in Asia, the administration of JJ Hospital will be put to test on Tuesday. Even as the hospital’s biomedical department is trying desperately to restore the connection of one of the three oxygen supplying lines at the hospital, discontinued since November 23 after unidentified people stole the connecting pipe between the oxygen regulator and a non-return valve, the gas storage in the liquid oxygen tank (4,000 cubic meter capacity) will requiring refilling.
After the brass pipe was removed on Thursday, the hospital filed a complaint with the JJ Marg police alleging “intentional and purposeful removal to cause sabotage endangering lives of inpatients and posing a threat of explosion in the JJ premises”. While police are still investigating who could have benefited from the robbery of a crucial but inexpensive piece of equipment — it would fetch barely Rs100 in the market — the hospital’s biomedical engineering department is struggling to find a replacement.
“The material is not readily available in the market,” said Bhavana Mhatre, head of the department. Police have registered a case under sections 380 (theft), 336 (endangering the lives of others) and 427 (mischief causing damage).
With one oxygen supply line discontinued and the other fast running out, the hospital’s oxygen dependency might fall on a single supply line. The Central Oxygen Room that houses the oxygen supply to the entire hospital—the connecting pipe was removed from one of the panels in the room— gets its supply from three sources: the liquid oxygen tank and two 12- cylinders manifolds.
The theft has led to the discontinuation of supply from one of the manifolds leaving the remaining two to meet oxygen supply needs of all inpatients admitted to the critical care units at the hospital (CCU, ICCU, and MICU) and those requiring oxygen support systems in the wards and operations theatres.
If the discontinued supply line is not restored overnight, the supply dependency would fall on a single 12 cylinder manifold ( 5 psi capacity). Hospital superintendent Dr Arun Pol, however, said, “Alternate arrangements were in place to avoid inconvenience to patients.” The average oxygen consumption of the hospital is around 1,000 cubic meters a day, he added.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}