DAVAO CITY —Key cities and provinces in Mindanao now struggled to secure supplies of medical-grade oxygen while Covid-19 cases as plant source reportedly temporarily shut down for a repair.
Medical oxygen is administered in medical facilities like hospitals and clinics. It’s used during anesthesia, first aid resuscitation for emergencies, life support for patients who can’t breathe on their own, and oxygen therapy but as it is now, it is needed to help Covid-19 patients severely infected with the virus. to survive.
The provincial governments of North Cotabato, Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Bukidnon Misamis Occidental and Lanao del Norte have aired concern about the shortage as it affects their fight against the dreaded Coronavirus Disease.
Dr. Eva Rabaya, North Cotabato Provincial Health Officer told Newsline “Our hospitals are overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients and our oxygen supply is not enough, we run short, that is why we continue to ask our people to stay at home and in going out follow the health protocol and get themselves vaccinated.”
Rabaya said they used to get medical oxygen supply from Davao City and Davao City but they cannot supply us now because they have problems, so the next option is Cebu City but we were advised that they are in need of oxygen and we cannot be prioritized, because they too are having problems with the soaring number of cases.”
Rabaya also revealed other provinces in Mindanao experience a shortage of medical oxygen as cases of Covid-19 increased “Hospitals are overwhelmed and we are asking the public to stay at home and get vaccinated.”
On September 13, 2021, the Davao Regional Medical Center announced “Amidst the challenges of medical oxygen scarcity, Davao Regional Medical Center has instituted control measures that would optimize its oxygen utilization in order to resume accepting patient referrals and transfers but on a limited capacity. Referrals that cannot be accommodated at the time of the call will be assisted for admission for other facilities.”
Given the situation, the DRMC is also asking other health facilities to strictly coordinate with the operations center.,
While Davao Oriental Governor Nelson Dayanghirang said “Davao Region is experiencing a shortage, I received reports that the medical oxygen plant here in Mindanao is undergoing repair and they cannot supply yet.”
In the province of Bukidnon, Valencia City Vice-Mayor Policarpio Murillo IV called on the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to regulate the distribution of tanks of oxygen, especially to other places outside the region.
To remedy the situation, Dayanghirang said they opted to secure supply from other sources just to meet the requirement “It is paid in cash because we need the supply.”
“This is not to be greedy, but this regulation can ensure the region’s oxygen requirement these days,” said Murillo, a physician by profession.
He warned that Northern Mindanao cities and provinces would suffer more as the demand for medical oxygen goes higher.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on Monday said over DCDR, that for one to buy medical-grade oxygen a doctor’s prescription is necessary.
Despite these reported shortages, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday assured that there is no shortage of medical-grade oxygen tanks in the country, saying the use and hoarding of unprescribed oxygen tanks may lead to injuries or death.
In a virtual briefing, FDA Director-General Eric Domingo said there has been no shortage of oxygen tanks in any part of the country, with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reporting that less than 50 percent of the manufacturing capability of oxygen plants are in use.
Medical-grade oxygen, he said, is classified as a drug under FDA Circular 2014-018 as it is required to be 99 percent pure and must be intended for “therapeutic, diagnostic, or prophylactic purposes.”
“Number one gas na nila-license ng FDA na gas ay oxygen. At yung pressurized na tank kung saan siya nakalagay, yung packaging niya, ina-approve at nire-regulate din ng FDA (The number one gas licensed by the FDA is oxygen. And the pressurized tank where it is stored, its packaging, are approved and regulated by the FDA),” Domingo said.
He called on the public to stop hoarding or storing oxygen tanks at home as, aside from possibly causing a shortage for those in need, its improper usage may cause “irreversible health damage.”
“Meron pong toxicity ang oxygen at pwede ma-injure actually ang ating baga kapag gumagamit tayo ng high concentration oxygen or ng pure oxygen nang hindi tama ang pagkakagamit nito (Oxygen has toxicity and our lungs can get injured if we use high-concentration oxygen or pure oxygen incorrectly),” Domingo said.
Moreover, he said, oxygen is “highly combustible” and “flammable” and should not be stored at home to avoid catastrophic accidents.
“Pwede po talagang sumabog yan, lalo na kapag nakatago sa high-pressure na tank. Daig po niyan ang LPG, mas malakas po ito (It can explode, especially if stored in a high-pressure tank. It is worse than liquefied petroleum gas. It is more powerful),” Domingo said.
He said the sale of medical-grade oxygen requires the prescription of a licensed physician and should not be sold for standby purposes.
“So pinapakiusapan po (a)ng ating mga doktor magre-reseta lamang ng oxygen kapag talagang kinakailangan ng pasyente. Lalo na yung for home care (We are asking our doctors to only prescribe oxygen tanks if it’s really necessary for the patient, especially for home care),” Domingo said.
On Wednesday, the Department of Health (DOH) urged the public to refrain from hoarding medical oxygen tanks to prevent an artificial shortage amid the pandemic.
As a means to ensure the continued supply of oxygen and other medical supplies, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda filed a measure to exempt these from taxes in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s request to provide tax relief to manufacturers of medical-grade oxygen.
