Covid-19: Delhi-NCR in chokehold still, four die at Gurugram hospital

GURUGRAM/NEW DELHI: Several hospitals across Delhi-NCR continued to reel under acute oxygen shortage on Sunday and struggled to keep critical Covid-19 patients alive, lurching from hour to hour. Four patients, including two from Delhi, admitted to Gurugram’s Kathuria Hospital, died after the facility ran out of oxygen around 2pm.
While the hospital management said it kept the district administration in the loop, deputy commissioner Yash Garg said, “Had we been informed, we could’ve helped.” An inquiry has been ordered.

In Delhi, the government and other agencies were flooded with distress calls. Jaipur Golden, where 20 patients had died on Saturday, was once again pleading for supply, which it received only later in the night.
Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, with 100 patients on oxygen support, said it would stop further admissions. At Ganga Ram, oxygen tankers reached when levels were alarmingly low. Gurugram’s Metro Hospital received supply after it flagged that it was on its “last leg of medical oxygen”.
8 die as hosps in Gurugram , Rewari run out of O2 supply
Eight Covid patients — four in Gurugram and four in Rewari — who were on oxygen support in two private hospitals died on Sunday after the facilities ran out of supply.
In Gurugram, officials at Kathuria Hospital, Khandsa Road, said they had informed the district administration about the shortage but did not get any help. “ All four patients were on oxygen support and there was no supply,” said Dr AK Kathuria, the hospital's owner.
He added that at 2pm on Sunday, the hospital ran out of oxygen. While two of the patients were from Gurugram, the other two were from Delhi.
Asked about the hospital’s request, Yash Garg, deputy commissioner of Gurugram, said they did not know about the shortage at the facility. “We have not been informed about the crisis at the hospital. We will investigate the matter. We have oxygen in store and if we had been informed, we could have helped them,” Garg said.
Later at night, he ordered an inquiry, which will be carried out by the SDM of Gurugram, Jitender Kumar.
In Rewari, officials at Virat Hospital reported four deaths and said that their oxygen stock was exhausted. Virat Vir Yadav, the hospital owner, said their staff members had gone to get an oxygen tanker from Bawal around 3pm on Sunday, but they could not get to the hospital by 5pm.
Several private hospitals continued facing an acute shortage of oxygen on Sunday as well. While Max and Mayom hospitals in Gurugram had put out an SOS tweet on Saturday stating they have a few hours’ supply left, Metro Hospital posted a similar message on Twitter at 10.38am on Sunday. By evening, the hospital got oxygen supply from Panipat.
Officials at Metro said they have 48 patients on oxygen support. Park Group of Hospitals had also tweeted for urgent help with oxygen and tagged the Prime Minister’s Office, home minister Amit Shah, chief medical officer of Haryana, ministers Piyush Goyal, and Anil Vij, health minister Harsh Vardhan and DCP Gurugram.
Several hospitals said they need assurance from the government about timely supply of oxygen before taking in fresh patients. Dr PN Kakar, CEO, Park Hospital, Gurugram, said: “We are getting 50% less oxygen compared to the demand. Once we get an assurance that we will be getting adequate oxygen supply, we will increase the number of beds.”
Some residents took to social media alleging that hospitals have asked them to shift patients elsewhere because of lack of oxygen. Utpal Borpujari tweeted: “W Pratikha Hospital Sect 56 Gurugram shifting critical patients to other hospitals. citing shortage of oxygen. Please help hospital in oxygen supply and prevent shifting”.