'Industries can wait for oxygen, not COVID-19 patients': Delhi HC to Centre

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court Tuesday said sufficient oxygen was not being supplied to COVID-19 patients in the national capital and asked the Centre if it can be diverted from industries which can wait for now.

"Industries can wait. Patients cannot. Human lives are at stake," a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said to the central government.

The bench said it has heard that doctors at Ganga Ram Hospital were being forced to reduce oxygen being given to COVID-19 patients admitted there as there was scarcity of oxygen.

"Which are these industries whose supplies of oxygen cannot be curtailed," the court asked central government standing counsel Monika Arora and asked her to take instructions on what all can be done to augment the oxygen supply to COVID-19 patients.

With the direction, the court said it will hear the matter post lunch.

The direction came during hearing of a disposed of petition, related to COVID-19 tests, that the high court revived on April 19 by noting that the virus has raised its "ugly head" once again and the pandemic is raging with much greater intensity and "it is evident that the healthcare infrastructure is at the stage of imminent collapse".