About 25 ‘sickest’ Covid-19 patients have died in the last 24 hours in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi, the hospital authority said here on Friday. It added that low-pressure oxygen was likely the cause behind the deaths.
"Oxygen stock will last another 2 hours, ventilators and BiPAP machines not working effectively," Sir Ganga Ram Hospital director medical told media agency PTI.
On Thursday evening, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital raised an alarm for the immediate need for oxygen supply as over 140 critical patients admitted in the hospitals were on ventilators and support.
With Delhi Government's efforts, the hospitals received oxygen supply late on Thursday night (at 1 a.m.), however, the hospital said it received only two MT of oxygen which will last merely for the next few hours.
The hospital official said that another 60 patients' lives are at risk, adding that a "major crisis is likely", while the hospital is resorting to manual ventilation in ICUs and emergency departments.
"Ventilators and Bipap are not working effectively. Resorting to manual ventilation in ICUs and ED. Major Major crisis likely. life of another 60 sickest patients at risk. Need urgent intervention," said Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, in a statement early morning on Friday.
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The national capital is witnessing a serious oxygen crisis as coronavirus cases continue to increase. Meantime, the government has stated that India will import oxygen generation plants and containers from Germany to cater to the shortage of oxygen in hospitals amid the surge during the second wave of covid-19. Government sources said that 23 mobile oxygen generation plants are being airlifted from Germany and will be disposed of in static hospitals and provide adequate oxygen to the needy.