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How Mumbai got breather: Year before 2nd wave, BMC set up oxygen team
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Oxygen cylinders at the Covid unit at the erstwhile Mulund octroi naka
By: P Velrasu
Much interest has been generated on the ‘Mumbai Model’ of oxygen management after recent observations by the Supreme Court. I wonder what could make a management method unique and get its own name when the ingredients at hand seem to be common among cities. The success of the Mumbai Model can be attributed to centralization of certain aspects and decentralization of the services aspect.
Understanding the requirements for Mumbai and micro-planning was essential for successful oxygen management in this mega city. Efficiently doing so in a pandemic involves many aspects, including resource and inventory mapping, generating storage capacities, and proper supply chain management.
The BMC started with resource mapping and inventory accounting in May 2020 following oxygen difficulties in one of our hospitals within three months of the Covid outbreak in Mumbai. Our ‘Oxygen Team’ was asked to visit every hospital and compile data on storage capacity, supply method, suppliers’ names and supply periodicity. We accounted for much increased oxygen demand during the pandemic and expected the number of ICU and oxygenated beds to go up.
The next step was to increase storage capacities by installing additional cryogenic tankers in civic hospitals. The work was completed within 40 days. Underutilized during the first Covid wave, the tanks took the load during the second Covid wave very effectively.
Adequate supply of liquid medical oxygen is of paramount importance. I think this is where Delhi has faced problems. The basic supply quantity has to be sufficient even if everything else is in place. On three consecutive days Mumbai too witnessed lots of SOS calls. We shifted many patients to bigger hospitals without any casualty. Excellent teamwork was put forth by the BMC.
Fortunately for Mumbai, there is an oxygen team at work round the clock in Mantralaya too. There are at least five IAS officers who work round the clock to secure increased supplies of liquid medical oxygen from new sources. Once our supply inadequacy was flagged at that level, Mumbai was allotted 30 metric tonnes from a steel plant in Raigad. Also, later supplies were augmented with tankers from Jamnagar. Had these additional supplies not been ensured in time, Mumbai too would have had problems. No amount of good management can compensate for supply inadequacies — simple and straight.
Again, proper supply chain management is critical to avoid any supply disruptions. Because new difficulties can emerge any time: oxygen filling stations at manufacturing plants are lined with tankers and waiting times have become longer because now the plants are supplying real-time.
When in an emergency, contacting a plant and requesting for an out-of-turn filling also helps, an option we have exercised sometimes! A point to remember is that optimising the turnover time is crucial since the number of cryotankers is limited.
Currently, the oxygen team is working on future-proofing Mumbai from the shocks and exigencies of oxygen supply. We will be installing self-generating oxygen plants in all BMC hospitals as augmentation measures. The new plants will be able to cater to 100% of patients in normal times and during extreme situations too. This supply system will work well without stress even during disruptions.
(The author is additional municipal commissioner — projects — BMC. As told to Chaitanya Marpakwar)
Much interest has been generated on the ‘Mumbai Model’ of oxygen management after recent observations by the Supreme Court. I wonder what could make a management method unique and get its own name when the ingredients at hand seem to be common among cities. The success of the Mumbai Model can be attributed to centralization of certain aspects and decentralization of the services aspect.
Understanding the requirements for Mumbai and micro-planning was essential for successful oxygen management in this mega city. Efficiently doing so in a pandemic involves many aspects, including resource and inventory mapping, generating storage capacities, and proper supply chain management.
The BMC started with resource mapping and inventory accounting in May 2020 following oxygen difficulties in one of our hospitals within three months of the Covid outbreak in Mumbai. Our ‘Oxygen Team’ was asked to visit every hospital and compile data on storage capacity, supply method, suppliers’ names and supply periodicity. We accounted for much increased oxygen demand during the pandemic and expected the number of ICU and oxygenated beds to go up.
The next step was to increase storage capacities by installing additional cryogenic tankers in civic hospitals. The work was completed within 40 days. Underutilized during the first Covid wave, the tanks took the load during the second Covid wave very effectively.
Adequate supply of liquid medical oxygen is of paramount importance. I think this is where Delhi has faced problems. The basic supply quantity has to be sufficient even if everything else is in place. On three consecutive days Mumbai too witnessed lots of SOS calls. We shifted many patients to bigger hospitals without any casualty. Excellent teamwork was put forth by the BMC.
Fortunately for Mumbai, there is an oxygen team at work round the clock in Mantralaya too. There are at least five IAS officers who work round the clock to secure increased supplies of liquid medical oxygen from new sources. Once our supply inadequacy was flagged at that level, Mumbai was allotted 30 metric tonnes from a steel plant in Raigad. Also, later supplies were augmented with tankers from Jamnagar. Had these additional supplies not been ensured in time, Mumbai too would have had problems. No amount of good management can compensate for supply inadequacies — simple and straight.
Again, proper supply chain management is critical to avoid any supply disruptions. Because new difficulties can emerge any time: oxygen filling stations at manufacturing plants are lined with tankers and waiting times have become longer because now the plants are supplying real-time.
When in an emergency, contacting a plant and requesting for an out-of-turn filling also helps, an option we have exercised sometimes! A point to remember is that optimising the turnover time is crucial since the number of cryotankers is limited.
Currently, the oxygen team is working on future-proofing Mumbai from the shocks and exigencies of oxygen supply. We will be installing self-generating oxygen plants in all BMC hospitals as augmentation measures. The new plants will be able to cater to 100% of patients in normal times and during extreme situations too. This supply system will work well without stress even during disruptions.
(The author is additional municipal commissioner — projects — BMC. As told to Chaitanya Marpakwar)
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