The national capital territory of Delhi continues to be in the eye of the COVID19 storm with the city reporting 26,169 new coronavirus cases and 306 deaths yesterday. Amid these rising numbers, hospitals in the capital continue to face medical oxygen shortage. This matter came up for discussion today during a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi.

“We fear big tragedy may happen due to lack of oxygen for patients, national plan needed to deal with situation (sic),” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in the meeting chaired by PM Modi today to review the COVID19 situation with chief ministers of high burden states.

“People in major pain due to oxygen shortage. I request with folded hands that PM gives direction to CMs [chief ministers] to ensure smooth movement of oxygen tankers coming to Delhi,” said Kejriwal at COVID meet.

As per news reports, at least 25 patients died at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi reportedly due to low pressure oxygen. It is claimed that the lives of another 60 ‘sickest’ patients was at risk due to oxygen shortage at the hospital.

Two days back, Haryana’s Health Minister Anil Vij had accused the Delhi government of stealing oxygen from a tanker that was on its way to Faridabad hospitals.

“We are under pressure to supply oxygen to Delhi, but we shall first secure our own state’s requirement and then send the surplus Oxygen to other States … whatever oxygen we are generating in Haryana, we shall secure it for our patients first of all and then supply it out of the state,” he said.

Yesterday, deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia alleged that the neighbouring states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh were withholding supplies. Sisodia took to Twitter to state that out of Delhi’s previous daily quota of 378 metric tonnes (MT) of oxygen only 177 MT has been provided on April 21 (Wednesday).

Owing to the recent events of oxygen shortage and supply in the national capital, Kejriwal said in today’s meeting: “Will people of Delhi not get oxygen if there is no oxygen-producing plant here? Please suggest whom should I speak to in Central Govt when an oxygen tanker destined for Delhi is stopped in another state?”

Meanwhile, the central government has made medical oxygen allocation to states. In the wake of acute shortage of medical oxygen across the country, the Union Home Ministry yesterday issued an order under the Disaster Management Act, which guarantees that the movement of vehicles carrying oxygen stocks would not be hindered.

Kejriwal also suggested that the Centre should take over all oxygen plants through the Army and every truck should be accompanied by Army escort vehicles, oxygen supply scheduled to come to Delhi from Odisha, West Bengal be airlifted or brought through oxygen express.

Oxygen shortage continues in Delhi hospitals

Meanwhile, today at 11:30 am, Holy Family Hospital, one of the key COVID19 hospitals in Delhi informed that it has liquid medical oxygen that will last one hour and its backup oxygen supply will last two hours. The doctors are waiting for Linde (medical oxygen supplier) to come and fill the oxygen tanks.

Meanwhile, after the hospital had alerted the government over shortage of oxygen, today the oxygen tankers arrived at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, and Max Hospital Saket.

The chairperson of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi, has claimed that the reports of patients in the hospital dying due to lack of oxygen were ‘false’ reports. “When O2 pressure lowered in ICU beds, gave patients O2 manually. Didn’t let anyone die without O2. Inox told us after getting state govt’s NOC, they’ll supply 9000-10,000 cubic meters of O2 daily (sic),” said the chairperson of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.