Multiple government hospitals in the city said that their oxygen stock will last only for “seven to twelve hours” and “people will die” if they do not get oxygen. Delhi has been witnessing a huge jump in cases, with a positivity rate of almost 30%.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also reiterated there was a serious oxygen crisis and again sought help from the central government. “Serious oxygen crisis persists in Delhi. I again urge centre to urgently provide oxygen to Delhi. Some hospitals are left with just a few hours of oxygen,” he said in a tweet.
We need oxygen very badly. Have enough to last only seven to eight hours,”Dr. D.S. Rana, chairman of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, a private hospital, told The Hindu. “If we don’t get oxygen on time then many will die. 120 patients in ICU are heavily dependent on oxygen. 80% of the other patients are also dependent on oxygen. We have informed about it to both central and state governments,” Dr. Rana said. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital is one of the largest private hospitals in the city.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court issued notice to INOX, which produces oxygen, as to why contempt action should not be initiated against it for not complying with court orders to supply oxygen and directed the presence of the company’s Managing Director on the next date of hearing on April 22, PTI reported.
The court also sought the presence of the Uttar Pradesh government on the next date.
The direction came after senior advocate Rahul Mehra told the bench that INOX did not supply oxygen to Delhi as directed by the court, claiming that doing so would lead to a law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh from where the supply was to come.
The court in its order also directed the Centre to issue appropriate orders and also meet the representatives of the steel and petrochemical industries to divert some portion of their oxygen for medical needs for a period to tide over the prevailing pandemic.
Holding that economic interests cannot override human lives and in view of various hospitals in the national capital running low on oxygen, it said the Centre should immediately implement the ban on industrial use of oxygen instead of waiting till April 22.
The bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli also noted that oxygen supply of various hospitals will run out in 4-8 hours and in such a situation there was no justification in implementing the ban from April 22 as the need was now.(Courtesy the Hindu)
