Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday requested Centre to increase the quota of oxygen supply to the national capital as nearly 18,000 patients are currently admitted to hospitals in the city. "I've visited many hospitals, people from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, etc., are also getting treatment here," he added.
Sisodia said that transportation of oxygen is also an issue in Delhi. "I have received a report that a local administration officer in Faridabad, Haryana stopped a truck transporting oxygen, which delayed the supply," he added. "Yesterday also, we faced a similar transportation issue, we had to call a senior Cabinet minister, only after he helped that oxygen transport to Delhi was started," he further stated.
Meanwhile, many hospitals in the national capital are facing oxygen shortage. According to news agency ANI, St Stephen's Hospital in the Tis Hazari area in Delhi is under acute shortage of oxygen with supply left for only two hours. "There are around 300 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. There is a limit of only two hours of oxygen supply. We are struggling and seek immediate help. Oxygen supplier Linde India has stopped our supply," a hospital official told ANI.
The problem of acute medical oxygen shortage was reported at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital too. Sisodia had on Tuesday informed that the hospital only had enough oxygen for another 16 to 18 hours. Following this, the hospital received about 4,500 cubic metres from a private vendor on Tuesday night, along with 6,000 cubic metres from Inox Air. However, according to news agency ANI, only five hours of oxygen is left at the hospital. "58 COVID-19 patients are admitted here including 10 in the intensive care unit (ICU). 35 patients await admission to the hospital," read the tweet.
