As Delhi Battles Oxygen Crisis, Centre Says Will Increase Supply: Sources

The centre has increased supply of medical oxygen to Delhi - from 378 metric tonnes per day to 480 - as hospitals in the national capital battle a critical shortage that leaves the lives of thousands Covid and non-Covid patients in the balance.

The roughly 27 per cent increase, announced Wednesday evening, is still short of the 700 MT per day that Delhi's ruling AAP has said it needs.

Sources within the party told NDTV the additional oxygen is to come from Odisha.

The ruling party has welcomed the increase in supply, but it also struck a note of caution, underlining that it still needs a minimum of 700 MT per day and that the additional shipments - should they come through - would still leave several hospitals, and patients, in trouble.

"There is a shortage of oxygen in Delhi... the quota for Delhi was decided earlier (before the spike in cases). As the number of cases increased, so too did the demand for oxygen. Delhi's quota should be increased from 378 MT to 700 MT," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told reporters.

Mr Sisodia also flagged the issue of oxygen tankers being stopped at the city's borders; there have been reports that tankers from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been diverted, on order from their respective governments, as each state battles to contain the virus.

"There should be no issues between state governments on this. Each state should get its own quota... we should all fight coronavirus together, not fight between ourselves," Mr Sisodia said.

The centre, he said, "needs to intervene and fix this issue".

Delhi is struggling to manage a frightening surge in Covid cases - the city has over 80,000 active cases, and has reported over 20,000 new cases per day since April 18. Mr Sisodia today said there were 18,000 patients in Delhi's hospitals, with many in desperate need of oxygen if they are to survive.

On Wednesday - Day 2 of the oxygen crisis in Delhi - six hospitals, with around 2,000 patients between them, highlighted fast-depleting oxygen reserves.

On Tuesday three key hospitals were down to just hours of oxygen - a situation flagged by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Twitter - before the tankers arrived.

Hospitals, whether in Delhi or elsewhere, should not have to waste time and resources tracking oxygen tankers. "Doctors need to focus on treating patients," Mr Sisodia said in his appeal today.

The critical shortfall in oxygen supplies has triggered a political blame-game, with Delhi indicating that Haryana and Uttar Pradesh (with which it shares borders) were diverting supplies to their hospitals.

Mr Sisodia referred to what he said was a tanker held up at the Delhi-Haryana border in Faridabad by a state official; the tanker resumed its journey only after the centre intervened.

This was after Haryana accused Delhi of "looting" an oxygen tanker bound for Faridabad.

The state's Health Minister, Anil Vij, said: "We are being forced to give our oxygen to Delhi. First, we'll complete our needs, then give to others".

"The centre is requested that once the quota is fixed, the state should get oxygen supply. This should not be a war between the states," Mr Sisodia stressed.

Delhi had earlier claimed that INOX, the main vendor for its hospitals, was moving its quota to Uttar Pradesh. At a hearing in the Delhi High Court, the Delhi government said INOX was refusing to send supplies from its plants in UP, saying it might create a law and order situation.

Sources said UP had not interfered with Delhi's oxygen supply, and pointed out that allocation of medical oxygen was done by the centre.