Pulse oximeters in short supply as pandemic rages

Dealers looking at possibilities of procuring the machines from alternate sources like Bengaluru

Pulse oximeters used for measuring blood oxygen level, otherwise superfluous equipment considered surplus to the needs of households and were mostly used by health care facilities alone, are flying off the racks of medical shops that there is now a shortage of the machines thanks to the panic triggered by the sweeping second wave of the pandemic. The demand for the equipment had died down considerably following the COVID-19 breakout last year. Not anticipating an even intense resurgence of the pandemic, medical shops and surgical equipment dealers stocked thin, and what little stock was available dried up in no time. “The supply of pulse oximeters to the State mostly came from Delhi and Maharashtra and because of the raging pandemic and the rising demand there, the supply has dried up. Our members have reported the shortage, and we are now looking at arranging them from alternate sources like Bengaluru. The equipment is not always in demand, and some who stocked it considering the demand during the first wave had to even dispose them at a loss later on,” said A.N. Mohan, State president, All Kerala Chemists and Druggists Association.