No O2 supply, can’t treat non-Covid patients, say Dadri clinic owners

Greater Noida: Hospital and clinic owners in Dadri area have alleged that with the administration stopping oxygen supply to non-Covid facilities since April 19, they are struggling to treat patients at their facilities. On Thursday, representatives of Navin hospital, Cruise Divine, Mohan Swaroop Hospital and other smaller facilities met Dadri MLA Tejpal Nagar and demanded that the supply be restored for them.
Ajeet Singh, administrator, Navin Hospital, Dadri, said there are 15-20 prominent hospitals and clinics in the area. “We understand that the pandemic has caused an alarming situation. But we also have to look after our patients who don’t have Covid. There are patients with COPD and other heart ailments, we have to give neonatal care and conduct surgeries and we have to ensure that the patients have oxygen support. They are suffering and we are not being able to help them,” he said.
On Thursday, a few videos of cars ferrying oxygen cylinders from a manufacturing plant were widely shared on social media. “There is an oxygen plant in Bishada. We used to get our supply from there. While non-Covid hospitals are not getting oxygen, the black market is operating and people are taking oxygen from the units. The Bishada plant can fill up 500-odd cylinders per day and it is supplying oxygen to around eleven hospitals. It seems the plant is supplying some 270 cylinders to the hospitals. Then where are the other cylinders going?” Singh asked. MLA Nagar spoke to the district magistrate on the matter, sources said. “The DM said that we can get oxygen from BHEL in Haridwar, by sending our vehicles there. But that is not possible for most of us” Singh said.
DM Suhas LY said that he has asked the SDM to ensure that oxygen is supplied to the facilities. “Our first priority is to stop diversion of oxygen. We have told hospital and clinic owners that those who want oxygen can get it from BHEL, Haridwar,” he said.