Another Oxygen Crisis Reported from the National Capital; Eight Dead Out of the 230 Critical Patients

New Delhi: Another hospital in Delhi converted into a morgue today afternoon after it ran out of oxygen leaving 230 critical patients on the edge.

The Batra Hospital in Delhi on Saturday informed the Delhi High Court that it was out of oxygen supply for about an hour which succumbed 8 COVID patients, including their own doctor. The hospital ran out of oxygen at 12:45 pm. 

Hospital officials had told the Delhi High Court – holding an 11th straight day of hearings into the oxygen crisis in the national capital that re-supply tankers only reached the hospital at around 1.30 pm, meaning that around 230 critically ill patients were without oxygen for around 80 minutes. The hospital administrations announced the death of 8 patients on Saturday due to lack of oxygen. Dr SCL Gupta, Medical Director of Batra Hospital, said “We ran our operation for almost an hour without an oxygen supply.”

The hospital released an SOS message ahead of the shortage, stating, Oxygen depletion in another 10 minutes.

Delhi Water Minister Raghav Chadha responded: “Our SOS cryogenic tanker carrying Liquid Medical Oxygen is reaching Batra Hospital within five minutes. Their regular supplier of oxygen has defaulted yet again due to alleged ‘lack of oxygen supplies’ and is being pulled up.” 

This is the second time in one week that Batra Hospital has run out of medical oxygen. On April 24 the hospital received a last-minute re-supply that arrived minutes after its supply ran out. Batra Hospital is among several in the national capital battling a crippling oxygen shortage that has endangered the lives of thousands of COVID patients.