Last Updated on October 7, 2020 by The Health Master
The Indian Medical Association (IMA), Maharashtra has stated that the government should not restrict the usage of oxygen on the basis of new Central government notification.
The state government has come up with new guidelines with the help of NITI Aayog. The notification shows usage up to 10 litres/minimum for oxygen beds and 40 litres/minimum for intensive care unit (ICU) ventilator beds as against 12 litre per minute in the ICU in the first notification issued earlier.
NITI Aayog guideline considers 80% of cases of COVID-19 are asymptomatic or having mild symptoms and they require no oxygen therapy.
Of the remaining 20% cases, 17% are considered as moderate requiring non-ICU oxygen supported beds. Only 3% cases are severe requiring ICU beds for 18 days.
Also read: Gist of Notification 25th September 2020: Medical Oxygen
The notification stated that District Magistrate assisted by the chief medical officer of the district must also monitor the consumption including the rational use of oxygen in all facilities of the district on a weekly basis.
Dr Avinash Bhondwe, president, IMA, Maharashtra State said, “The state government’s new guidelines seem more rational. The treating doctors’ clinical judgement should be final. The treating physician should not have such obligatory restriction in saving lives of the dying patient.”
“Government should believe that the doctors work ethically and to the best interest of the patient’s actual condition and it should not doubt doctors for any mode of the treatment,” stated Dr. Bhondwe.
The association had condemned the state government circular for unscientific restriction of using oxygen at 7 liters/minute for the oxygen beds and 12 liters per minute for the intensive care unit.
IMA is a national voluntary organisation of doctors of modern scientific system of medicine in India, which looks after the interest of doctors as well as the well being of the community at large.
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