25 patients have died at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in the last 24 hours and the hospital is facing acute shortage of oxygen, the director of the hospital said on Friday morning. The director added that lives of another 60 sickest patients in the hospital was in peril.
“Oxygen will last another 2 hrs. Ventilators and Bipap not working effectively. Need Oxygen to be airlifted urgently. Lives of another 60 sickest patients in peril,” the director of the hospital said, ANI reported.
The announcement comes a day after Sir Ganga Ram Hospital sent an SOS to the Delhi government, saying there is only five hours of oxygen left at the facility, and requested that it be replenished urgently.
“At 8 pm, the oxygen in store at the hospital was for five hours for peripheral use till 1 am and less for high flow use. Need urgent oxygen supplies," an official said on Thursday.
Hospital authorities informed that oxygen containers are on their way and requested uninterrupted supply from the government. “The truck from INOX are on their way and we are waiting for them to arrive. All we need is uninterrupted and timely supply of the oxygen,” said Dr DS Rana, chairman of board, Sir Ganga Ram hospital.
Oxygen tankers reached the hospital at 9:20 am and authorities at the hospital informed that 2,000 cubic meters of oxygen was supplied to the hospital and being offloaded.
There were 510 coronavirus patients, including 142 patients on high flow oxygen support, admitted in the hospital located in central Delhi. “The hospital is in touch with the agencies. Need urgent supplies," the official said.
Earlier in the day, the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) had said their oxygen stock could last till 10 am on Friday. “Many more patients with high flow need got admitted to the hospital. Almost 40 patients are extra," the official said.
Several small hospitals in the city struggled to replenish oxygen supply for coronavirus patients on Thursday, even as some big healthcare facilities received fresh stock. The Delhi High Court had on Wednesday night ordered the Centre to “forthwith" provide oxygen by whatever means to hospitals here facing shortage of the gas in treating serious COVID-19 patients, observing it seems human life is not important for the state.
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