20 COVID-19 patients die due to oxygen shortage in Delhi’s Jaipur Golden Hospital

Delhi’s Jaipur Golden Hospital on Saturday said that 20 people died on Friday night due to a shortage of oxygen, reports ANI. DK Bajula of Jaipur Golden Hospital around 10.15 am on Saturday said that the oxygen supply in the hospital will only last for half an hour, and added that the lives of over 200 COVID patients are at stake, reports news agency ANI.

This comes a day after Sri Ganga Ram Hospital said 25 ‘sickest’ COVID patients died in the past 24 hours, as the hospital sent out an SOS call for oxygen, saying the supply will only last for another two hours. 

Several hospitals, including Sir Ganga Ram, Fortis Healthcare, and Max Healthcare, in Delhi and the NCR region are reporting a shortage of oxygen supply over the last couple of days.

Also Read | 5 COVID patients die as hospital runs out of oxygen in MP’s Jabalpur

The Max Hospital Saket on Twitter sent out an SOS call on Friday as it said it has only an hour’s oxygen supply and over 700 patients are admitted.

Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in Vasant Kunj also posted on Twitter at 4.20 pm that it was left with only one hour of oxygen and asked for help at the earliest.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide a solution to the crisis as he asked, “Who should I speak to… when oxygen tanker is stopped.”

“There’s a huge shortage of oxygen in Delhi. Will people of Delhi not get oxygen if there is no oxygen-producing plant here? Please suggest who should I speak to in Central Govt when an oxygen tanker destined for Delhi is stopped in another state?” the Delhi CM had asked during the meeting with the Prime Minister. 

After PM Modi’s meeting with the states’ CM over the COVID situation in the nation, the defence ministry later on Friday announced that it will airlift 23 mobile oxygen generation plants from Germany to meet the oxygen demands in various states.