Abstract :

The immensurable COVID-19 pandemic has a ceaseless destabilizing effects on health systems, economies, and societies around the world. Total number of 671,756 positive cases have been reported in the country and 654,910 of them have recovered from the disease with 16,808 number of deaths out of the population of 21.8 million up to December 2022. Immense burden to the health system and heavy death rate was reported during the 3^rd wave for which mainly the delta variant of COVID virus was responsible. Total number of 491,508 patients and 14375 number of deaths as well as nearly 3500 Oxygen dependent patients were managed per day in ICU, HDU, and inward set up using Oxygen concentrator, bi-pap and c -pap machine during 3^rd  wave. During this period, Ministry of Health had been urged to reassess its hospital surge capacity in relation to predicted COVID patient load. Based on that, the increasing COVID-19 surge has warranted the rapid hospital facilities expansion in every aspect especially in facilities for Oxygen therapy.

Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka had to develop strategies for Medical Oxygen management to fulfill its rising demand. All those interventions were focused to improve the accessibility and availability of medical oxygen while preventing irrational use and wastage of Oxygen. The ultimate goal of spending such cost was to prevent morbidity and mortality due to poor access of oxygen. To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of medical oxygen gas utilization, it was important to monitor the capacity improvement and supply process.

 

---

Keywords :

COVID-19, Oxygen, Preparedness, Sri Lanka.

---

References :

1. Health promotion bureau. COVID 19 situational report. Retrived on 02/05/2023. Available at: https://www.hpb.health.gov.lk/en.
2. Epidemiology unit (2021). COVID-19 Epidemiology Sri Lanka. Retrieved on 03/05/2023. Available at: https://www.epid.gov.lk/storage/post/pdfs/en_6401f1862b0cb_esummerypdf
3. Fernando GHS, Gunasena BAHMS, Yapa Bandara AS, Dharmagunawardane D and Panapitiya L. (2022) Way forward for curative care Management of COVID 19 patients in 3^rd wave in Sri Lanka. International journal of Health System Resilience.

4. Fernando GHS, Gunasena BAHMS, Yapa Bandara AS, Dharmagunawardane D and Panapitiya L. (2022). Assessment of Island wide distribution and requirement of Biomedical equipment for COVID 19bcase Management in Government hospital Sri Lanka. International journal of Health System Resilience.

5. Ministry of Health Sri Lanka (2020) Oxygen demand and supply, Health Information updating system.
6. Ministry of Health Sri Lanka (2021a) Caseload and Oxygen demand to date of 2021.01.25.
7. Ministry of Health Sri Lanka (2021b) Oxygen Demand in Various Scenarios and total Oxygen demanding patients (Survey Ministry of Health).
8. Ministry of Health Sri Lanka (2021c) Oxygen production and requirement (Survey done by Ministry of Health).
9. Ministry of Health Sri Lanka (2022) Waves of COVID – 19 pandemic, number of patients effected, Deaths and Case Fatality Rate.
10. Ministry of Health Sri Lanka (no date) Epidemiology Unit. Available at: https://www.epid.gov.lk/epid/public/index.php/home (Accessed: 23 July 2024).

11. World Health Organization. Regional Office for South-East Asia. (2021) WHO Sri Lanka