SOS calls from hospitals down by over 80%

New Delhi: Even as Delhi hospitals struggle with oxygen supply as SOS messages are sent everyday, Delhi government has claimed that the demand for oxygen has come down drastically.

Delhi government on Saturday said it rushed to provide oxygen supply to MD City hospital, which had sent out an SOS revering that they are just left with one hour of backup oxygen remaining. "We have rushed 2 MT of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) to the hospital," Delhi government said.

Although demand for oxygen still remains critical with 10 Delhi hospitals making SOS calls on Friday. According to Delhi government's data there were about 2,569 patients on oxygen support in the hospitals that demanded the oxygen.

"We cannot say that the oxygen shortage in Delhi is over. It is very much there, the only difference is that the gap between supply and

demand is not that much. Till the time stringent actions are not taken the situation is not going to ease," a doctor from AIIMS said.

Meanwhile, Delhi received only 70 per cent of oxygen supply, which was 488 MT against the demand on Friday, according to the data shared by the state government. Delhi government has said that there has been a magnitude reduction of 81.25 per cent in SOS calls from Delhi hospitals.

AAP leader Raghav Chadha said that authorities received nine SOS calls from hospitals over oxygen shortage on Thursday and 5.1 MT of the life-saving gas was provided to these healthcare facilities.

In the span of a few weeks, Delhi was on its knees as hospitals witnessed a crippling shortage of oxygen and beds due to which many people lost their lives. While major hospitals sent out an SOS, small hospitals still struggle to find oxygen cylinders and help.

Even as the number of cases in the national Capital has come down, the demand for oxygen and oxygen cylinders is still high with people

trying to arrange the supply themselves.