COVID-19: Hospitals in Delhi-NCR short on oxygen, send SOS to Govt - All details here

Amid a surge in COVID-19 numbers across the country, the demand for oxygen supply is rising phenomenally. India’s coronavirus cases have reached a grim new height as the single-day caseload breached the 3-lakh mark on Thursday, the world’s highest single-day spike in the last 24 hours.

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The Delhi High Court rapped govt in an 8 PM special hearing yesterday after the capital’s Max Hospital in Patparganj said it nearly ran out of oxygen supply. Several other hospitals in Delhi – including Indraprastha Apollo, Sri Ganga Ram and St. Stephen’s Hospital – were also left with just hours of oxygen, India. com reported.

The court directed the Centre to immediately take over the production of oxygen from steel and petroleum plants to supply for medical use. PM Modi will review the COVID-19 related situation in an internal meeting tomorrow, at 9 am. He will also interact with CMs of high burden states over the prevailing COVID situation, at 10 am, and hold a virtual meeting with leading oxygen manufacturers in the country, at 12:30 pm.

The Delhi government stated on Wednesday that the city is gasping for oxygen for the last over 50 hours. The healthcare system of the Delhi government has been on its toes since the last few days with Delhi battling for beds to accommodate the increasing Covid infected patients daily.

Delhi`s several private and government hospitals have informed the state government about the oxygen stock for Covid patients. Not only the hospitals but the state government too, including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have been raising the issue of oxygen shortage.

Lacking its own resources of oxygen, the state government amid a flood of complaints of oxygen shortage continued to knock on the Centre`s door for beds and now for oxygen supply.

As per the Delhi Government, the Centre has increased Delhi`s oxygen quota from 378 MT to 480 MT. However, Delhi Deputy 
Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday during a press conference said, "On Wednesday, hospitals in Delhi faced a crisis because out of the 378 MT oxygen sanctioned to Delhi by the Centre, only 177 MT was received.

The UP government did not allow oxygen loaded trucks to enter an oxygen plant there, which resulted in an emergency situation in many hospitals in Delhi." Sisodia, who also looks after Covid-19 management as the nodal minister, said on Thursday that the administration is getting calls from hospitals day and night regarding shortage of oxygen.

"At some points, the situation becomes critical when Medical Directors of hospitals say they have 150-200 Covid-19 patients who need support of oxygen and they have stock for only two hours. They say they can do nothing without oxygen support to patients. Delhi is not getting the full supply of its approved quota of oxygen by the Centre," said Sisodia.

As per the Delhi government`s report, many government hospitals are also reaching the point of oxygen shortage for Covid-19 patients. On Wednesday night, oxygen shortage in GTB hospital put the entire Delhi Government on its toes, however, the crisis was averted with support from other hospitals.

As per the Delhi Government`s data (till 5 p.m., Thursday), most of the government-run hospitals have oxygen stock for less than 24 hours. Among the big Delhi government-run hospitals, Ambedkar Nagar hospital is the only one which has oxygen stock for the next 24 hours. The other major Covid dedicated hospitals such as Burari Hospital, DDU Hospital, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital, and GTB hospital have oxygen stocks for only 12-15 hours.

Similarly, private hospitals like BLK Hospital (Pusa Road), Holy Family Hospital (Okhla), Max Hospital (Patparganj), St. Stephens Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Max (Shalimar Bagh)- all have oxygen stock for Covid-19 patients for less than 24 hours.
Many private hospitals have started appealing to the administration to get oxygen supply through the social media also.

A COVID care centre equipped with 500 oxygen beds will be restarted in Delhi amid a surge in coronavirus cases, and border guarding force ITBP has been again entrusted to run it, officials said on Thursday.
An order issued by the Union Home Ministry said the Delhi government has "sought assistance to re-operationalise" the Sardar 

Patel COVID care centre (SPCCC) with 500 oxygen beds, that was first created last year at the Radha Soami Beas campus located in south Delhi's Chhattarpur area.

"Keeping in view the above request, it has been decided to provide an adequate number of medical officers and para-medical staff to man 500 oxygenated beds at SPCCC."

"ITBP is designated as a nodal force for operation of the SPCC...ITBP may draw the required medical manpower (doctors and paramedics), if needed, from other central armed police forces (CAPFs) also," the order said.

Steelmakers Tata Steel and JSPL on Thursday said logistics-related issues are posing a challenge in the transportation of medical oxygen from steel plants to health facilities. Both the companies added they are making efforts to increase their daily oxygen supply. State-run Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) also said it is looking to increase daily supply of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) to states for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government imposed stricter restrictions to contain the spiralling COVID-19 cases in the state. However, it ruled out the possibility of a total lockdown and allowed the functioning of public transport, including the local train

Also, around 1,500 personnel of Delhi Police force have tested positive so far amid the prevailing second wave of COVID-19: Delhi Police. In view of rising COVID-19 cases in Uttarakhand, all offices in the state, except those for essential services, will be closed for three days i.e. April 24, 25 and 26.

An Oxygen cylinder, a high-pressure, non-reactive, seamless tempered steel container for compressed gas (O2), restores tissue oxygen tension by improving oxygen availability in a wide range of conditions.