Following the severe shortage of oxygen supply in the national capital, the Delhi Police has come to the rescue of several hospitals and arranged oxygen for these facilities where Covid patients are undergoing treatment. Several hospitals in Delhi were running short on oxygen cylinders and had only an hour back up.
"In the past three days, many city hospitals have made SOS calls to various police stations seeking help in arranging oxygen cylinders. On Wednesday night, a major crisis was averted after the Delhi Police managed to restore oxygen supply to a hospital here where over 350 COVID patients are undergoing treatment," said Chinmoy Biswal, the Public Relation Officer (PRO) of Delhi Police.
According to Atul Kumar Thakur, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), South district, the chief engineer of Batra hospital, R K Baniwal, informed the police that the oxygen at their facility will only last for two hours and they were not sure when their supply will be restored.
"Police teams were formed and assigned different tasks to each of them. After enquiring from the hospital and its nodal officer, it was found that one tanker was supposed to come to the hospital from Panipat and the other from Modi Nagar. However, the authorities were unable to get any update on their location," said the DCP.
"The police somehow managed to contact the drivers of the tankers through the nodal officers and owners of the suppliers," said the DCP.
"Meanwhile, a team headed by SHO K M Pur was sent to Mohan Co-operative area in Badarpur with 60 empty oxygen cylinders so that they could be filled while others teams led by SHO Madan Garhi, SHO Neb Sarai and SHO Greater Kailash were sent to escort the tankers bringing oxygen after obtaining their live locations, said the DCP adding that the team managed to restore oxygen supply at the hospital within three hours.
On Thursday, shortage of oxygen was also reported at Max hospital in Saket, police said. The police found out that the oxygen tanker, which was to deliver the gas at the hospital, was on its way to the facility from UP's Kashipur.
SHO Malviya Nagar along with his team took position at Apsara border and provided a green corridor with sufficient force from where the tanker was escorted to the Max hospital, according to police.
On Thursday, Primus Hospital in Chanakyapuri informed the police in the morning that the oxygen refilling tanker, that was supposed to reach them at 8 am from Faridabad, had not reached the facility, police said.
The hospital informed that oxygen for 150 patients will last only for the next five-six hours, police said.
"Police team contacted the company which stated that their tankers were not available at the moment for delivery. After persuading the management, a tanker was made available with liquid oxygen and it reached the Primus hospital on time," said a senior police official.
In yet another instance, ACP Nirav Patel and his team managed to supply 20 oxygen cylinders to Maharaja Agrasen Hospital in outer Delhi's Narela and saved the lives of seven patients who were undergoing treatment at the facility.
"On Wednesday night, we were informed by the hospital that there was shortage of oxygen and that it will last only two hours. Our team took empty cylinders from the hospital and rushed to the oxygen filling station in Bawana," a senior police official said.
In southeast Delhi, a team of Sunlight Colony police station managed to arrange 17 oxygen cylinders from Faridabad and delivered them to Jeewan Hospital after a doctor there informed police that 15 COVID patients undergoing treatment were in dire need of oxygen, said R P Meena, the DCP, Southeast district.
In outer Delhi's Ranhola, the police averted another tragedy on Wednesday night by arranging oxygen cylinders for Rathi Hospital which had 78 patients on high flow oxygen support and its supply had reached nil.
"With coordination by senior officers at various levels and arrangement from other hospitals in the district, 37 oxygen cylinders were arranged from Bawana, 40 from Kanjhawala, 24 from Sri Action Balaji hospital and 20 from Mayapuri," a senior police official said.
On Wednesday night, SHO Dwarka (south) Inspector Balbir Singh with his team rushed to Faridabad along with Manipal Hospital staff to collect an oxygen tanker after the hospital authorities informed that oxygen cylinders required for patients may not last much.
"One oxygen tanker was procured from the Faridabad plant and was escorted from there to the Manipal hospital," said Santosh Kumar Meena, the DCP, Dwarka district.
Maya Munni Ram Hospital also made an SOS call to the police after which SHO Maurya Enclave along with his staff arranged oxygen cylinders from Anand Parvat plant and delivered them to the hospital, said Usha Rangnani, the DCP, Northwest district.
On Wednesday night, lives of 52 persons admitted in Medeor hospital was saved with the timely intervention of SHO Kisangarh and his team after the hospital authorities informed them about oxygen shortage and asked for police help, police said.