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Uttar Pradesh CM Adityanath ‘warns’ hospitals flagging oxygen shortage

Hospitals across the state had begun put up notices informing public about oxygen shortage, families were advised to shift patients 

Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh has recorded over 2,97,616 Covid-19 cases, and in the past 24 hours there has been an increase of 9,472, according to data shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). According to the Government’s policy think tank NITI Aayog’s prediction, Uttar Pradesh may be the next Covid-19 hotspot after Delhi, which is reeling under a massive surge in cases.

According to news reports the NITI Aayog has projected that Uttar Pradesh is likely to add 1,19,604 coronavirus infection cases by April 30, Maharashtra is predicted to add 99,665 cases and the surge in Delhi will continue with 67,134 cases.

UP facing oxygen bed shortage?

These predictions of the Covid-19 of the pandemic that is expected to peak around mid-May, with a projected daily infection count of five lakhs were made by NITI Aayog member (health) VK Paul during a presentation at the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by chief ministers of high caseload states. According to the news reports VK Paul said, “Heavily populated states are at particular risk and health infrastructure in these states is not adequate enough to cope with the present scenario.” 

Uttar Pradesh is one of the most densely populated states in the country, and it seems that dark days may lie ahead as seen in Delhi that shares a large porous border with it. There is an acute shortage of hospital beds, ICU beds, oxygen for Covid-19 patients and many are dying waiting for help to reach. Many Delhi Hospitals have been flagging that oxygen supplies are running low, announcements are made over social media, and pasted outside hospitals.  

According to reports, the NITI Aayog has projected a daily shortage in Uttar Pradesh of isolation beds with oxygen at around 16,752. There may be a 3,061 shortfall of ICU beds and at least 1,538 ventilators will be needed in the state.

What is Chief Minister Adityanath’s plan of action? 

Instead of sharing what the plan of action is to combat the shortage of Oxygen in Uttar Pradesh, Chief minister Adityanath has reportedly sent out a clear message to the state’s hospitals to stop flagging any oxygen crisis or face action. According to news reports at an online meeting on Sunday, Adityanath asked senior administrative and police officers, including divisional commissioners and inspectors-general, to “crack down on hospitals that discharge patients citing an oxygen shortage or complain to the media about the crisis”. The Telegraph report quoted senior health department officials who remain anonymous saying that the “chief minister said that action must be initiated against hospitals that put up notices saying they had no oxygen and the patients should be shifted elsewhere. He said there should be a probe to establish whether they deliberately tried to create panic.” 

According to Adityanath “there is no scarcity of oxygen in Uttar Pradesh”. He reportedly told the officials that the government was “ensuring the availability of the gas at every public and private hospital, but its misuse has to be stopped.” He reportedly “asked the officials to ensure that every government or private hospital with 100 or more beds had an oxygen plant. He told them to prepare proposals and send them to the chief secretary.”

However, there have been multiple posts on social media showing that many hospitals in Lucknow and other parts of the state had put up notices at their gates over the weekend declaring an oxygen shortage and advising families of Covid patients to shift them elsewhere.

 

 

News reports quoted anonymous sources at hospitals in the state saying the CM “has no problem that graveyards and cremation grounds are running out of space. All he wants is that the hospitals fulfil his agenda of hiding the truth.” It was reported that on Saturday, 10 hospitals in Agra were forced to discharge about 1,000 Covid patients due to a lack of oxygen, this was told to the media by Dr O.P. Yadav, district president of the Indian Medical Association.

 

 

According to an India Today report, “high-burden states” such as Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi and Chattisgarh have been told to “categorise areas based on high, moderate, and low surges, based on their geographical and density of population distribution.” It has been reported that the Centre also recommended that districts with a high surge of Covid-19 cases “could implement a lockdown and ramp up the healthcare infrastructure at breakneck speed.”

Adityanath meanwhile has hailed the Prime Minister’s allocation of funds for the installation of 551 dedicated Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) medical oxygen generation plants at public health facilities across the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “These plants will serve as a major boost to oxygen availability at the district level. These dedicated plants will be established at identified government hospitals in district headquarters in various States/UTs.” Adiyanath has hailed it as a “milestone for the supply of uninterrupted oxygen throughout the country,” adding that the project has been approved in 47 districts of the state. However it is not yet known when the plants will actually be ready and operational.

 

 

 

Related:

Madhya Pradesh falsely reporting Covid deaths?  

Acute shortage of oxygen attributable to State inaction, Amicus Curiae moves 

Covid-19 surge continues in Delhi as govt scampers to add beds, oxygen, vaccines

Twitter removes posts critical of gov’t handling of Covid-19 emergency

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