Delhi’s healthcare system is on the precipice of total collapse as patients suffocating to death, many scrambling for beds, moreover the most advanced hospitals in the national Capital’s vicinity have been reduced to begging the Government for emergency supplies of oxygen with a gap of 2,916 Metric Tonnes (MT) of oxygen against the demand of 5856 MT per week in present circumstances.
While crematoriums blazing nonstop and have run out of room and wood, Delhi faced tough battle to meet the gap of demand and supply of life-saving oxygen according to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the daily demand is of 976 MT oxygen per day the Centre allotted only 490 MT and we received just 312 MT, adding, “we have to set up infrastructure of beds for COVID patients but unable to start because of Oxygen crisis.”
Responding to the question regarding oxygen shortage, the official twitter handle of Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) had put, “As opposed to the demand of 976 MT, only 490 MT oxygen has been allocated to Delhi and is getting 312 MT.
If given what is required, then we can increase 9000 beds in the next 24 hours.”
As per the official database maintained with city administration, on April 25, Delhi received only 305 MT, on April 26 - 408 MT, April 27, the supply was 398 MT, April 28, it was 431, April 29-409 and on April 30, Delhi managed to get 312 MT of medical oxygen while as per the Covid19 health bulletin, the caseload of novel coronavirus patients is recorded above 25,000 per day.
Surprisingly, as per the civil health administration data, Delhi had dire need of 5856 MT in previous week however it allocated 2940 MT and received only 2263 MT.
“We are facing a lot of trouble regarding oxygen. Even today, we received SOS calls from hospitals all across Delhi - with only one hour of oxygen left or only half an hour of oxygen left. A lot of difficult situations are emerging. We have conveyed it to the courts as well as written to the Central Government that Delhi has a requirement of 976 metric tonnes per day. Against the 976 metric tonnes, we have been allotted 490 metric tonnes Oxygen, but we are not even getting the 490 metric tonnes,” Kejriwal pointed.
Till May 1, Delhi received 312 MT per day however with a big gap of 664 MT per day, an uproar witnessed in hospitals. Many hospitals have said that they will have to turn down their patients.