Are UP hospitals facing oxygen shortage despite CM’s claims?

Image Courtesy:india.com

Despite Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s claims that the state is not facing any form of medical oxygen shortage, some hospitals are grappling to sustain their Covid patients. In a virtual interaction with journalists on April 24, Adityanath reportedly said that no hospital in Uttar Pradesh, be it government or private, had paucity of oxygen supply.

He has also told his officials to take action under the National Security Act (NSA) against those who are spreading ‘rumours’ about the issue and also seize their property if need be, reported The Hindu. The concept of seizing property is not new to the people of Uttar Pradesh as they have already been subjected to an Ordinance allowing such seizure against people who participated in anti-CAA protests under Adityanath’s regime.

Some hospitals, in the fear that they will run out of supply, helplessly admit only limited Covid patients. Mr. Manish Mishra of RSD Samarpan Hospital, Lucknow, told SabrangIndia that he admits 10 patients at a time because he has access to only six oxygen cylinders. He said, “Currently I have 8 patients and 6 cylinders. As soon as 4 cylinders get over, my staff leaves for Murari Gas Station, Nadarganj, on the outskirts of Lucknow to procure more cylinders.”

When asked about the number of trips his staff members end up making, he said, “They go at least twice or thrice every day. There is dearth of oxygen cylinders. But we are somehow managing, it has been difficult.” Commenting about the present devastating times, he said, “sab chal hi raha hai, upar wale ka naam lete hai roz” (things are going on, have left everything on the almighty).

Aastha Hospital in Aliganj that currently has about 12 designated beds for Covid, said that it is extremely difficult to procure oxygen. A worker told SabrangIndia, “We keep calling Murari Gas Station, but either they don’t receive our calls or say that we need to call via a senior official, we are somehow managing. There is more pressure than last year.”

Tender Palm Hospital in Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar neighbourhood, has been facing the same dreadful shortage where eight Covid patients have already died between April 27 and April 28 because of a lack of oxygen, reported The Telegraph. A staff member told the publication, “We got about 30 cylinders against the immediate need for 200 on Thursday (April 29) morning. These will run out in 10 hours.”

On April 21, the Uttar Pradesh government passed an order prohibiting the supply of oxygen to individuals, ‘except for those in serious conditions’. Yogi Adityanath had tweeted, “Only institutional oxygen supply will be permitted.” The order was passed to allegedly clampdown on citizens who were involved in black marketing of cylinders.

अति गंभीर परिस्थिति को छोड़कर किसी भी इंडिविजुअल व्यक्ति को ऑक्सीजन की आपूर्ति न की जाए। केवल संस्थागत आपूर्ति ही होगी: मुख्यमंत्री श्री @myogiadityanath जी महाराज
— Yogi Adityanath Office (@myogioffice) April 21, 2021

But this order has led to unnecessary problems for people who are home isolating and still need access to oxygen. As per news sources, distressed family members and relatives have been fighting with police officials deployed outside gas stations in the state. An officer stationed outside Murari plant told The Print, “Around 500 people have come here. We understand their misery. Hospitals are not admitting them and now the government does not want to give them oxygen cylinders at home isolation either….But we are helpless.”

SabrangIndia contacted KK Hospital where a worker disagreed with the issue of oxygen shortage. He said, “there is no oxygen shortage, there is dearth of cylinders because so many people are panicking and hoarding oxygen cylinders in their homes even if they don’t need it.” He appreciated the government order of not allowing individuals to divert oxygen to their homes for Covid patients and said, “Everything is getting better..in my opinion there is no problem in my Lucknow.”

When asked about the situation at Tender Palm Hospital that lost eight patients due to alleged shortage of oxygen, he said, “I don’t know about other hospitals.”

A multi-speciality hospital in Agra, Paras Hospital’s employee told SabrangIndia that currently they have no beds and no oxygen and for further details, we should call on another number. After doing so, another staff member said, “We are managing as of now. But the supply is less than before. We used to get 200-250 oxygen cylinders, now we get 100.”

Based on an April 28, 2021, IndiaToday report, seven to eight coronavirus patients died due to alleged shortage of oxygen in the same hospital. A staff member had alerted the district administration about the same and the DM, Prabhu Singh accepted that there was shortage of medical oxygen in the last 24 hours because of a sudden spike in patients but they were resolving the issue.

According to The Telegraph, four people died in the past 24 hours at Meerut’s KMC Hospital, which had received a notice from the district administration accusing it of falsely claiming an oxygen shortage and threatening to cancel its licence on April 28. On one hand, Meerut chief medical officer Akhilesh Mohan said the hospital was “getting everything” and action would be initiated after receiving the reply in three days, Dr. Sunil Gupta, who runs the hospital told the publication, “I have not slept for the last three days as I have to arrange oxygen. I need 300 cylinders every day.”

The question that arises now is who is keeping a count of people dying of Covid and the ones due to oxygen shortage?