Oxygen shortage: Good samaritans come to rescue of COVID-19 patients
With hospitals in the city scrambling to shore up oxygen supplies, good samaritans and social organizations across Delhi-NCR are giving a new lease of life to COVID-19 patients gasping for breath by opening "oxygen langar" for them and refilling cylinders for free. Most Delhi hospitals, big or small, have been constantly complaining of oxygen shortage.
25 sickest patients died at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital
Twenty-five of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital's "sickest" COVID-19 patients died in 24 hours and the lives of 60 more hung in precarious balance, officials said on Friday as the scramble for oxygen got increasingly more frantic in hospitals across the national capital.
Mayapuri plant helping hospitals and people with free oxygen supply
Inderjeet Singh Monty, President of Mayapuri Trading Association said, "We have been helping hospitals and people with free oxygen supply from this Mayapuri plant for the past five days now." "Everyday over 500-600 people come here to get their oxygen cylinders refilled. Anyone in need of oxygen for a patient in their family can come and get the oxygen cylinder refilled here," he said.
The plant has refilling capacity of 1,500 oxygen cylinders daily
The brainchild of Abhishek Gupta, the plant's owner, the initiative is getting support from the administration as well as the Delhi Police, which has helped them in supplying oxygen to several West Delhi private hospitals- and in some cases to patients' homes as well. The plant, with the refilling capacity of 1,500 oxygen cylinders daily, keeping in view the ongoing crisis is operating round-the-clock.
The whole cost of the initiative is borne by Gupta
"The whole cost of the initiative is borne out by the plant's owner Abhishek Gupta," said Monty, who is also a member of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC). "He just told us to help manage all the things on the ground and see that people's demands are being met smoothly," he further said.
Gupta wants to help people in whatever way possible: Monty
"He is not bothered about money and wants to help people in whatever way he can amid the worst health crisis that the city and whole nation has seen," said Monty. Gupta, even after several attempts, could not be reached for comment.
Gurudwara in Ghaziabad has opened an 'oxygen langar'
Also, rising up to the occasion in these challenging times is a gurudwara in Ghaziabad's Indirapuram. It has opened an "oxygen langar" for COVID-19 patients and promises to supply oxygen in its premises to patients till the time they don't find a bed for themselves in the hospital. They have also launched a helpline number for the people to call and book oxygen cylinder.
Gurudwara promises to provide oxygen till patient gets hospital bed
"We're not giving or refilling oxygen cylinders. We're asking people to come here at Indirapuram Gurudwara along with the patient and we will provide oxygen to them," said Gurpreet Singh, in a viral video informing people about the initiative. "Be it two, four, or eight hours, we'll provide oxygen till the time the patient is not getting a bed in the hospital," he said.
Delhi logged a record 306 deaths on Thursday
Meanwhile, Delhi logged a record 306 COVID-19 deaths and 26,169 cases with a positivity rate of 36.24 percent, highest since the pandemic began a year ago, on Thursday even as the city hospitals grappled with depleting oxygen supply for the third consecutive day.
