SHIBERGHAN (Pajhwok): Residents of northern Jawzjan province complain about high prices of compressed oxygen while doctors in the Covid-19 Response Center in the provincial capital are concerned about shortage of the element and warn of a possible disaster if people continued neglecting health guidelines.
According to Jawzjan public health department, 80 people have died from the coronavirus since the beginning of the third wave and over a thousand more have been infected.
Unprecedented hike in oxygen prices in Jawzjan
Mohammad Sharif, a man whose uncle is hospitalized in Covid-19 Response Center in Shiberghan, capital of Jawzjan, complained about the increased price of compressed oxygen.
Talking to Pajhwok Afghan News, he said, “In normal days, the price of a single cylinder of oxygen was 350 Afghanis, but the amount has increased to 20,000 Afghanis now.”
He said they brought oxygen for patients from Balkh province against a very high price which was unaffordable by most of the people.
“Critical situation of patients and insecurity has negatively impacted the oxygen price in Shiberghan city, most of patients who lose lives in hospitals or homes are due to shortage of oxygen,” he said.
Sharif criticized the government and said, “Despite high number of patients, officials give oxygen to other hospitals, the current oxygen supply cannot meet the requirement of patients.”
Mari, a resident of Shiberghan city, said: “My son got infected with Covid-19 a week ago and we brought him to hospital due his critical situation.”
She said that her son was a student but they did not know how he was infected because they all followed health guidelines.
Mari also complained about the hike in oxygen rates and said that ‘merciless’ oxygen sellers sold the element at higher rates when people were in urgent need.
The price of one cylinder of oxygen increased from 400 Afghanis to 20,000 Afghanis which is impossible for poor people to afford, she added. She said they bought oxygen for her son despite being not sound economically.
The number of Covid-19 patients has been on the rise in the province because most of people do not follow health guiltiness and not wear masks, she said.
Shortage of oxygen, lack of diagnostic center main problems: Doctors
Dr. Khalis Qaderi, surveillance in charge in Covid-19 Response Center in Jawzjan said that four or five patients lost their lives on a daily basis in Shiberghan city due to their critical situation.
“Our mobile teams are working on public awareness, but people are careless about doctors’ advices,” he said. He asked Jawzjan people to follow health guidelines or they would face a deadly disaster.
Qaderi called lack of a diagnostic center in the province a main problem and said, “There is no diagnostic center for diseases in Jawzjan and we are obliged to send samples to Balkh province, but it slows down the Covid-19 diagnosis process.”
He said that the number of beds in Covid-19 Response Center was 20 a few days ago but they were increased to 40 after hard struggles. Currently 53 patients are hospitalized in this center, he added.
Qaderi said that 80 Covid-19 patients had died since the third wave of the virus in the province but the number of deaths may be higher as many people did not refer to hospitals.
He said that shortage of oxygen supply was another challenge of their center and they imported some cylinders from Balkh province. He said that they had talked about the problem with relevant officials.
Mds/ma
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