New Delhi: The Army Base Hospital in Delhi on Tuesday morning sent an SOS to the Defence Ministry seeking immediate help over oxygen shortage. According to reports, the hospital did not receive the replenishment of oxygen supplies that it was supposed to get via the Delhi government, following which the Indian Army issued an alarm to the Ministry of Defence.

The Army has, however, clarified that there is “adequate supply” of oxygen at present. “It is clarified that there is adequate supply of Oxygen in the Base Hospital Delhi Cantt. Western Command assures all serving personal, Veterans & dependents of our assistance & full support,” the Indian Army’s Western Command tweeted.

According to a report by India Today, around 125 jumbo cylinders are needed at the facility on a daily basis in the current situation. The hospital has a daily requirement of 3.4 metric tonnes of medical oxygen whereas the Delhi government has been allotting 1 mt till Monday. According to reports, the allotment had been further reduced to 0.42 mt which is not enough to meet the requirement.

According to reports, the Indian Army Base hospital Delhi Cantonment (BHDC) immediately deployed vehicles out of the capital to procure jumbo oxygen cylinders on an emergency basis in order to save lives at risk. As many as 200 personnel are getting infected by COVID-19 on a daily basis.

Hospitals in Delhi have been burdened by the exceeding number of coronavirus cases in the national capital that has led to an utter scarcity of oxygen supplies, medicines and ICU beds. Many patients – COVID infected and others – have died over the past few weeks due to lack of oxygen at hospitals.