Starved Of Oxygen

 502 docs warn supplies are low, Alarm over syringes and drug shortage.

- Geraldine Mckelvie

Huge numbers of hospitals are running low on oxygen as crippling shortages hamper the war against coronavirus.

A worrying 502 doctors responding to a British Medical Association survey say they fear their oxygen supply could dry up.

In another alarming development, a nurse told how staff were reusing syringe sets due to shortages – although an NHS spokesman denied this was happening.

It came as another 888 victims died, taking deaths in UK hospitals to 15,538.

The Sunday Mirror spoke to frontline staff across the country to lay bare the horrifying lack of key supplies. We also found:

• Hundreds of doctors said they are running out of sedatives, painkillers and anaesthetics.
• Equipment like tracheostomy tubes – vital for some patients on ventilators – is running low in at least one major hospital.
• Medics may not have the capacity to treat all coronavirus patients with renal failure, a side-effect, due to lack of equipment.
• Staff in busy London hospitals fear they don’t have enough PPE to last the weekend.

Our findings reveal oxygen shortages are far more widespread than thought. Dr Rob Harwood, BMA Consultants Committee chair, said: “Doctors and other healthcare workers are going above and beyond to provide the best possible care for a growing number of patients. However, supplies of medicines and essential resources simply aren’t available on the front line on a regular basis, meaning doctors aren’t able to provide treatment they ideally want for patients.

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