COVID-19: Delhi patients in home isolation can now apply for oxygen cylinders online

New Delhi: Amid an acute shortage of medical oxygen in the national capital, the Delhi government has set up a web portal to streamline the distribution of the oxygen to coronavirus patients in home isolation, non-COVID hospitals, and nursing homes, an official order said on Wednesday.

The portal – delhi.gov.in – is now live and those requiring oxygen can apply with a valid photo ID, Aadhar card details, COVID positive report, and other documents like CT scan report if available, the order said.

According to the order, district magistrates shall identify "dedicated dealers/depots to distribute such cylinders to individuals who shall not be redirected to refilling plants under any circumstances".

"The district magistrates shall ensure that an adequate number of office personnel are assigned to scrutinise all incoming applications and issue e-passes quickly as time is of the essence in such cases,” the order said.

“This may be accorded top priority. The DMs shall ensure that the dealers regularly get their cylinders refilled from the designated refilling plants," the order added.

Based on the stock availability, the district magistrates will issue a pass having the date, time, and address of the dealer/depot from where the oxygen cylinder can be issued/exchanged, it said.

Before issuing the pass, the district magistrates must ensure that the filled oxygen cylinder is available as per the pass issued, it added.

The district magistrates will ensure that the distribution of lump-sum allocation is done "judiciously and equitably between individuals, non-COVID hospitals, nursing homes, ambulances, and SOS cylinders of COVID hospitals running on LMO (liquid medical oxygen)", the order said.

The order said a provision of lump-sum allocation of oxygen (to be given through cylinders) for individuals, non-COVID hospitals, nursing homes, ambulances, and SOS cylinders of COVID hospitals running on LMO had already been made against re-fillers with each district being assigned a re-filler.

"However, reports are being received of long queues at cylinder refilling plants also leading to public safety and public health hazard issues," it said.

This portal has been created "to streamline the entire system of distribution of the lump-sum allocation under the supervision of district magistrates and also in order to facilitate the public to access these cylinders with certainty", the order said.