Oxygen shortage has turned out to be a huge challenge amid Covid crisis. (Representational)
Highlights
- Madhukar Rainbow Children's Hospital said it was running out of oxygen
- Raghav Chadha said five oxygen cylinders have been arranged
- 12 people died on Saturday at Batra Hospital due to oxygen shortage
A children's hospital in Delhi sent out a desperate appeal for help on Twitter this morning and said it was running out of medical oxygen, a day after the national capital witnessed a tragedy when 12 people, including a doctor, died due to oxygen shortage at Batra Hospital. Tens of thousands of fresh Covid infections added to the national capital's caseload in the last few weeks have overburdened the hospitals that are now scrambling for resources.
About an hour after the Madhukar Rainbow Children's Hospital in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar sent out an SOS, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party's Raghav Chadha said five oxygen cylinders have been arranged for the hospital.
"We request consistent supply of Liquid Oxygen at Madhukar Rainbow Children's Hospital, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi #Oxygen #SOS #COVIDEmergency @raghav_chadha @rashtrapatibhvn @CMODelhi @LtGovDelhi @attorneybharti @PMOIndia @aajtak @ndtv @CNN @tehseenp @TOIIndiaNews @DOJPH (sic)," read a tweet shared by the hospital. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's office, President Ram Nath Kovind and Lt Governor Anil Baijal were tagged in the post.
In another post, shared at around 10:20 AM, the hospital said: "We have liquid oxygen supply till 12 noon today."
Shortly after, speaking to NDTV, AAP's Raghav Chadha said: "We have organised five big, deep-dive oxygen cylinders from our facility in Rajghat. It should reach them soon. We are in touch with the children's hospital regularly and have been servicing their requests for the last five-six days."
Dr Sisir Paul, Rainbow Hospital, told NDTV that 10 cylinders reached through their own vendor and five cylinders - being sent by the Delhi government - are also on their way.
Another children's hospital sent out an appeal this afternoon.
On Saturday, Arvind Kejriwal, condoling the deaths at Batra Hospital, said: "This news is very painful. Their lives could have been saved... by giving oxygen, Delhi should be given its quota (of oxygen, so) such deaths are not seen anymore. Delhi required 976 tonnes and yesterday only 312 was given. How can Delhi breathe?"
About a week ago, 25 Covid patients had died at Delhi's Jaipur Golden Hospital due to low oxygen pressure.
The Delhi High Court yet again reprimanded the centre on Saturday over the issue. "Water has gone above the head. You have to arrange everything now. You have made the allocations. You have to fulfil it. Eight lives have been lost. We can't shut our eyes to it," the high court said, referring to loss of lives at Batra Hospital after oxygen supply stopped for 80 minutes.
The government has raised the city's daily quota from 490 metric tonnes to 590 metric tonnes (MT) even as the Arvind Kejriwal government asked for 970 MT.
On Friday, the Supreme Court, on the issue of oxygen shortage that has made global headlines, said that the centre has "special responsibility towards Delhi" as the city "represents micro-problems of the country".
"The ground situation in Delhi is (medical) oxygen is really not available. Not only in Delhi, but also Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka," Justice DY Chandachud said. The court also told Arvind Kejriwal government that "this is no time for political bickering" and it should cooperate with centre.