New Delhi: At least eight Covid-19 patients, including the HOD of gastroenterology department of Delhi’s Batra Hospital, breathed their last on Saturday due to oxygen shortage, officials said.
“We are trying to revive five other critical patients,” PTI quoted Batra Hospital Medical Director Dr S C L Gupta as saying.
This comes as the hospital had sent out SOS message earlier about depleting supplies of oxygen.
“Oxygen will last for another 10 minutes. 326 patients are admitted at this hospital,” the Batra Hospital said earlier.
Meanwhile, the Batra Hospital informed the Delhi High Court that the lives were lost as they were out of oxygen for some time today, adding the oxygen tankers reached them sometime back.
“We ran out of oxygen at 12.45 pm. The supply came at 1.30. We were out of oxygen for 1 hour and 20 minutes,” the hospital told the High Court.
In tune with the same, the Delhi High Court suggested the hospital install an oxygen generator.
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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has so far maintained the city is not getting its allocated quantity of life-saving gas.
“Our SOS cryogenic tanker carrying Liquid Medical Oxygen is reaching Batra Hospital within five minutes. Their regular supplier of oxygen has defaulted yet again due to alleged 'lack of oxygen supplies' and is being pulled up,” Delhi Water Minister and AAP national spokesperson Raghav Chadha posted on Twitter earlier in the day.
This is the second time in one week that Batra Hospital has run out of medical oxygen. Earlier on April 24, the hospital received a last-minute re-supply that arrived minutes after its supply ran out.