Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has asked the government to consider reducing patient intake amid a deepening oxygen crisis in the national capital. In a statement on Saturday, the hospital chairman said that immediate government intervention is needed as oxygen is scarce. 

“I appeal to both the Centre and the state to help. On one hand, they increased COVID beds and on the other, they can’t supply oxygen in sufficient quantity. How are we supposed to work?” Ganga Ram Hospital Chairman Dr DS Rana said.

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The hospital had on Friday reported the death of 25 of its ‘sickest’ patients as the administration grappled with depleting oxygen supplies.

“If this is COVID tsunami and the government has invoked the Disaster Management Act, then they should work according to it. We need immediate intervention,” the chief said.

Every few hours, as it has been for the last days, hospitals across the national capital and its suburbs sent out desperate messages of help on social media and other platforms, flagging their dwindling stocks of oxygen.

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 “The government is doing its best but, perhaps, they too are helpless. But then they should admit it and reduce patient intake,” Rana said. 

The hospital requires a minimum of 11,000 cubic metres of oxygen daily but was left with just 200 cubic metres when a tanker with 1.5 tonnes of oxygen arrived at 11.35 am, officials said.

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“Patients are suffering. We feel sad to see people bringing their oxygen cylinders. The hospital has and is approaching all authorities and nodal officers but no help is coming. Hundreds of calls made, nobody picking the calls,” Dr Rana said.

“We are getting supplies of 500 to 1500 cubic meters only. We have 516 COVID patients, of which 129 are in ICU and 29 on invasive ventilation. These 29 patients are on manual ventilation since midnight due to scarcity of supplies. This can’t go on for long, the staff is getting exhausted.” In the morning the hospital’s oxygen stock had almost depleted when 1.5 tons of it arrived.

“Now it is at 0.7 tons, which will last for one hour only,” Dr Rana said in a statement released around 2 PM.