O2 reaches hospitals but non-availability of beds leave patients helpless in Capital

New Delhi: Private hospitals in the national Capital heaved a sigh of relief when oxygen supply from various contingents reached the medical institutions after witnessing a horrific shortage that killed many patients. However, even as many hospitals received the oxygen others were struggling and had sent SOS messages.

At Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, which saw a crisis everyday for the past four days when it witnessed oxygen shortage due to which many patients lost their lives, was sent oxygen supply from three places.

The hospital has 104 oxygen cylinders which are used for transferring extremely sick Covid patients from Covid emergency to ICU and from Wards to ICU in case of emergency, which is happening frequently as many sick patients are being admitted, officials at the hospital said.

"2T Liquid Medical Oxygen was also received from Inox Air Products at 6 am. We have 6000 cubic meters of oxygen in storage tanks which may last for 10 hours. We have also received 1.5 tons oxygen sent by the Delhi Government through Delhi Transport Corporation. With this supply, there is 4500 cubic meters of oxygen which should last for five hours," a statement from the hospital said. Meanwhile, Aakash Healthcare said that early Tuesday morning they were left with a few hours of oxygen and they reached out to Abhay Soi, Promoter, Chairman, and Managing Director, Max Healthcare, at 8:30 am, who provided the hospital with 10 D-type oxygen cylinders.

Meanwhile, hospitals like Cribs were struggling with oxygen supply and had sent an SOS in the evening. Small nursing homes and hospitals are somehow managing but as 70 tonnes of oxygen reached Delhi on Tuesday situation in terms of supply might get better.

However, with beds capacity almost full at every hospital, patients are struggling to get by. Dr. Prabhat who is a doctor at Venkateshwar Hospital was trying to get his brother admitted. "My brother is having breathing issues and I am trying to get him a bed in my hospital but with all beds full, it is getting difficult," he said.

A healthcare worker at AIIMS, who did not want to be named, said even after a lot of pleading he was not able to get his brother admitted. "He had tested positive and his condition was critical. When I brought him to AIIMS he was refused as there were no beds available. This is what I was told," he said, adding that he could not find any bed at Sardar Patel centre.

"He died early this morning because he was not able to find any bed," the healthcare worker said. Delhi is crumbling with a high number of covid cases due to which people are struggling with non-availability of beds for both covid and non-covd patients.

Even after centres like Sardar Patel covid centre was started, people complained of not being able to get through. "I want three ICU beds for my family, but I can't get through any DSOs contact. Meanwhile, I have been told there is no point going there anymore," Kartik, a resident of South Delhi said.