Mumbai: Amid shortage with 1 hour of oxygen left, 122 lives saved at Hindusabha Hospital

At 5.30 PM, Hindusabha Hospital at Ghatkopar only had 1 hour of oxygen left with them and they are nursing 122 COVID-19 patients. Right from doctors to nurses, they were all worried that if they do not get the supply of oxygen on time, how will they manage all these patients. Just a few minutes before 6.30 PM, when two trucks filled with oxygen cylinders arrived, they only had half a cylinder remaining, and it was the nth minute that the lifesaver was refilled for these patients.

Over the last eight days, Dr Vaibhav Deogirkar, Medical Director of the hospital, has been knocking on various doors, right from that of ward officer to Foods and Drugs Administration (FDA) and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray as well, but to no avail.

“The problem here is that demand and supply of oxygen does not match currently. Our suppliers also do not have enough oxygen, we have been asking them for stock, but when they do not have it how will they provide us. Currently, this problem is being faced across the country because of the pandemic, and the government should do something about it,” said Dr Rajnikant Mishra, Covid in charge of the hospital.

Mishra added that they were worried about the lives of their patients, which is why when the oxygen truck arrived, staff members of t hospital gave it a rousing welcome. 

Currently, because of the increasing number of COVID cases, there are various incidents being reported from across the state over the scarcity of oxygen. In another incident from the state, 22 COVID patients lost their lives in Nashik where because of oxygen leakage, a low pressure created the scarcity of oxygen at Zakir Hussain Hospital.

However, Kirit Somaiya, BJP leader, also visited Hindu Sabha Hospital, to take a stock of the situation.

“Oxygen refilling was delayed by 8 hours at the hospital. Maharashtra government should provide additional oxygen storage facilities to all such hospitals because 50% of such hospitals in Maharashtra do not have a storage facility. If this is not facilitated, such an incident can take place at some other hospital,” said Somaiya.