Days after 25 COVID-19 patients died due to lack of oxygen in Delhi's Jaipur Golden Hospital, the hospital has taken strong objection to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's remark asking hospitals not to raise "unnecessary alarm".
"Yesterday the Deputy Chief Minister made a statement that hospitals are making unnecessary SOS calls. Should hospitals wait without oxygen? How long after a patient dies should hospitals issue SOS?" the hospital questioned during a hearing in the Delhi High Court.
Three hospitals in Delhi have approached the High Court over shortage of oxygen supply in the national capital.
Sisodia, in a series of tweets on 25 April mentioned two instances where the hospitals, despite having stock of oxygen, had flagged about running out of supply. He said in one case the hospital had 72 hours of supply left, while another had contacted the government after using one-third of its share.
On Monday, 26 April, Jaipur Golden Hospital flagged a SOS saying it has not received its daily supply of oxygen from its supplier, Inox.
Delhi and NCR cities have been battling against the pravalent COVID-19 crisis for over a fortnight.
The positivity rate, which remains over 32 percent in Delhi has resulted in a sudden surge in COVID positive patients, which has resulted in overcrowding in all hospitals. Moreover, the crisis of oxygen shortage is making the situation vulnerable in the capital. Several leading hospitals are making SOS calls due to an oxygen crisis.
Since the last few days, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been requesting other chief ministers to send extra oxygen to the capital to restore supply of oxygen to hospitals.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)