Pakistan Global Foundation offers free oxygen to Covid-19 patients
An oxygen cylinder that is used in an Intensive Case Unit. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
Lask week, the government banned health workers and care givers against administering oxygen to Covid-19 patients while at home or other undesignated places
The Overseas Pakistan Global Foundation (OPGFA) has asked patients in need of oxygen and ambulance services to approach them for support.
Mr Zeeshan Arshad, the chairperson of OPGFA, told Daily Monitor yesterday that the organisation made the offer as an addition to their two annual medical camps.
They have been offering free eye surgeries, treating various ailments around the country and championing blood donation camps to support Nakasero Blood Bank.
“We have a project in Africa to buy 25 Ambulances for Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and South Sudan by the end of this year. In Uganda, we so far have three to transfer patients to hospitals and others are on the way,” he said.
He explained that patients in need of oxygen but cannot afford its price can approach their offices at Office 31 Coin ICD, Jinja Road Kyambogo, or call them on 0774333666 or email them on [email protected] and they will deliver the oxygen and also have cylinders refilled at a free cost.
Mr Arshad said a number of their members have offered more than 40 cylinders to cater for the oxygen supply.
Lask week, the government banned health workers and care givers against administering oxygen to Covid-19 patients while at home or other undesignated places.
Asked whether they have relaxed the ban on the use of oxygen in homes, Dr Sarah Zalwango, the Kampala City Council Authority manager for medical services, said unless patients have train nurses to monitor and administer the oxygen, the ban still stands.
Cost of oxygen
While meeting the State House Anti-Corruption unit headed by Col Edith Nakalema last Friday, over the high cost of Covid-19 treatment by private medical facilities, the proprietors of the hospitals cited the cost of getting and transporting oxygen, among other reasons.
Dr Peter Ntege, the chief operations officer at IHK Hospital and Ms Miriam Apio, a medical director at Case Hospital, revealed that on average, a patient under Intensive Care Unit uses between six and twelve cylinders of oxygen a day and refilling each costs Shs40,000.
They added that each private hospital requires a minimum of 150 cylinders to be on standby but these have also become scarce and costly. The price of an empty cylinder has shot to Shs1.2 million from Shs400,000 since the upsurge of Covid 19 infections.
