Manish Sisodia asks Centre to avoid ‘jungle raj’ over oxygen

NEW DELHI:  AMID fear of oxygen shortage for coronavirus patients, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday said the Centre should be “sensitive and active” in handling the situation so that there is no clamour among states over its supply. Sisodia, who is also the nodal minister for Covid-19 management in the national capital, said he is getting SOS calls on oxygen shortage from all hospitals.

He also alleged that people involved in supplying oxygen are being stopped in different states. “Getting SOS calls on shortage of oxyge from all hospitals. People involved in supplying oxygen are being stopped at different states. To ensure that there no jungle raj among states over supply of oxygen, the Central government should be very sensitive and active to handle the situation,” he tweeted in Hindi.

Hospitals in Delhi have been grappling with depleting supply of medical oxygen amid spiralling Covid-19 cases. The city has reported 823 deaths due to the deadly virus in a matter of five days. Of the 4,585 ICU beds for coronavirus patients in government and private hospitals across Delhi, only 30 were available at 8 pm.

Only 2,426 Covid-19 beds are available at hospitals in Delhi at present, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Tuesday and assured people that the city government was increasing the number of beds at a fast pace. The details of the available beds can be found on the Delhi Corona app, he told reporters, adding the Delhi government was making efforts to increase the number of beds, and approximately 1,000-1,500 beds are being added every day. 

4-time rise in beds at Centre-run hospitals
The number of beds for Covid- 19 patients at Centre-run hospitals in the national capital has increased by more than four times and now stands at 2,105 from 510 on March 1, the Health ministry said on Tuesday. Of the 2,105 beds, 1,875 are oxygensupported beds and 230 are ICU ones. Forty-six more beds at Safdarjung and 240 beds at Lady Hardinge Medical College are likely to come up in next two weeks.