4 COVID patients die in Ggm hosp for lack of O2, more hosps flag shortages
Gurugram: As the National Capital Region continues to grapple with a severe shortage of medical oxygen in hospitals, four Covid-19 patients in a Gurugram hospital, died on Sunday due to a lack of oxygen supply to the Kathuria Hospital, where they were being treated, according to the management of the facility, which had been flagging shortage for days now.
On Khandsa Road, the hospital is currently treating 50 Covid-19 patients.
Despite several pleas, the management alleged that their grievances were not taken note of by the senior officials. At around 3:00 pm the reserves of oxygen that the hospital was using ran out, leading to four patients dying.
"What has happened is tragic. We are going to take stock of the situation and make sure that if there are any faults in processes that are rectified," said a senior official from Gurugram District Administration.
This comes just two days after Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar assured that there was enough oxygen supply and beds in the state.
And while as many as eight large private hospitals in Gurugram have already flagged oxygen shortages in the last week, with all surviving on bare minimum reserve supplies, many residents who are fleeing Gurugram for lack of beds and getting admitted to smaller hospitals on the outskirts, are afraid for themselves given the state apathy for healthcare in other areas.
There are concerns that while the focus of the Haryana Government on seamless oxygen supply may be on districts like Gurugram and Faridabad other smaller districts close to these areas may face the brunt of collapsing health infrastructure.
In Gurugram, Max hospital, Metro, Artemis, Fortis and Mayom hospitals are just a few that have flagged oxygen shortages along with many other smaller hospitals such as the Kathuria hospital.
But even as officials say they are awaiting 40 MT oxygen from Bhiwadi and Panipat, the district administration has set up a team to monitor the minute-to-minute oxygen requirements of these hospitals. Moreover, Jindal Steel Power Limited (JSPL), one of the leading steel manufacturers in the country, has also committed to provide liquid oxygen to several big private hospitals in Gurugram.
There are also a large number of small manufacturing units that have now begun to provide oxygen cylinders to citizens whose close ones are receiving treatment under home isolation. Taking cognisance of a massive spike in demand for medical oxygen, the Haryana government has also prohibited all industrial usage of oxygen and directed that this be diverted for medical use in hospitals of the state.
In addition to this, the Gurugram District Administration has also begun talks with several corporates to set up an oxygen plant near Gurugram so that continuous supply can be ensured.
Despite these measures, basic steps like improving logistics are not being taken care of. There have been several incidents in the last few days where many Gurugram hospitals have been delayed with timely oxygen supply as trucks carrying oxygen tankers were stopped by officials for hours for checking relevant documents.
