20 people dead, more than 200 lives at stake amid oxygen shortage at Delhi`s Jaipur Golden Hospital

Hospitals in the national capital continued to send out SOS calls on Saturday morning appealing to authorities to arrange oxygen. Moolchand Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH), Batra Hospital and Jaipur Golden hospital reported shortage of oxygen and appealed to the authority to arrange it at the earliest.

NEW DELHI: At least twenty ''critically ill'' patients died overnight at Jaipur Golden Hospital in Delhi amid a serious oxygen crisis. "The oxygen pressure has dipped as we are running out of stock," Dr D K Baluja, the medical director of Jaipur Golden Hospital, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Baluja said the hospital has over 200 patients and they had only half an hour of oxygen was left at 10:45 am. It received the last refill of oxygen around midnight, after hours of delay.

"Nobody has promised anything. Everybody is saying we will do our best," the medical director said when asked if the hospital received any help from the government.

Dr Baluja said the hospital has over 200 patients and 80 per cent of them are on oxygen support. Around 35 patients are in the ICU, he said.

Delhi hospitals continue to make SOS calls

Hospitals in the national capital continued to send out SOS calls on Saturday morning appealing to authorities to arrange oxygen. Moolchand Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH), Batra Hospital and Jaipur Golden hospital reported a shortage of oxygen and appealed to the authority to arrange it at the earliest.

At 7.05 AM, Moolchand Hospital tweeted about a shortage of oxygen. "Urgent sos help. We have less than 2 hours of oxygen supply at Moolchand Hospital. We are desperate and have tried all the nodal officer numbers but unable to connect. Have over 135 Covid patients with many on life support," Moolchand hospital tweeted tagging Prime Minister Office, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister Office, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.

At 9.20 AM, SGRH said that only 500 cubic meter of oxygen is left with the hospital which will last for about 30 odd minutes. Batra Hospital also reported a shortage of oxygen. Its Medical Director Dr SCL Gupta said that the hospital is left with oxygen for one hour with 350 patients. He appealed to the authority to ensure an urgent supply of oxygen. Later, DCP South District Atul Bhatia said that an oxygen tanker had been arranged for Batra hospital.

"We have received only 500-litre of oxygen after pleading for nearly 12 hours, which is also less than our daily requirement of 8,000 liters. We have 350 patients and it is difficult to treat them in absence of inadequate supply," Gupta said.