New Delhi, Apr 23 (IANS): The national capital is grappling with not only oxygen shortage for Covid patients admitted in over one hundred hospitals, but also with short supply of ICU beds including in some big Covid-19 dedicated hospitals.
According to Delhi Government's Corona App, (last update at 2.48 p.m., Friday) out of 4,590 ICU beds available in all Delhi's hospitals, only 25 are vacant. However, for relief to some extent, Delhi has over 2,000 beds out of 20,458 non-oxygen beds reserved for Covid infected patients.
Top government-run Covid dedicated hospitals with number of ICU beds as of now:
GTB Hospital - total 400 ICU beds for (vacant 0)
LNJP Hospital- 400 (0)
RGSS Hospital - 35 (19)
DDU Hospital - 164 (0)
Deep Chand - 81 (0)
AIIMS trauma - 71 (1)
Safdarjung- 65 (0)
Dr. Ambedkar hospital - 62 (0)
RML hospital - 28 (0)
Sanjay Gandhi - 20 (0)
Several private hospitals, including India's one of the top private hospitals in Delhi - Sir Ganga Ram had to issue continuing appeals several times in days for immediate need of oxygen supply. The crisis was compounded by similar reports emerging from other parts of the national capital where hospitals are racing against time with their oxygen quota.
Many hospitals have received oxygen supply late last night or early Friday morning, however, hospital authorities claimed fresh oxygen stock would last for the next couple of hours and they would need another immediate supply.
Dr. Kousar A Shah, COO, a private hospital in Dwarka - Aakash Hospital, told IANS that the hospital needs immediate supply of oxygen for Covid-19 patients. "We have 221 Covid dedicated ICU beds out of which 200 patients require oxygen support. We have informed the District, Delhi Government and the Central Government about our current condition at around 12 pm," Dr. Shah added.
Joyshree Saikia, a staff member in Aakash Healthcare (Dwarka), said, "We all are working relentlessly. We are doing what we can as medical staff and doctors are doing their best to save lives, but we become helpless without oxygen. Being a medical staff I can shift patients from one bed to another bed, as per the need but, I can help patients with oxygen support."
Delhi on Thursday reported 26,169 new Covid infections and the highest-ever daily death toll of 306, while equally alarmingly, the city's positivity rate stood at 36.24 per cent. Delhi has been logging over 25,000 cases for days now.