Delhi facing acute shortage of oxygen for Covid-19 patients: Kejriwal writes to Modi

This comes hours after he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting his help in enhancing the number of hospital beds

With 30 per cent of people in Delhi testing positive for Covid-19, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's help to increase hospital beds and boost oxygen supplies in the national capital.

As patients waited outside hospitals for admission, Kejirwal ordered setting up of Covid Care Centres at the Commonwealth Games Village, Yamuna Sports Complex and a government school at Rouse Avenue in the heart of the capital.

“1,500 oxygen beds will become operational between tomorrow (Monday) and day after (Tuesday) in these three places,” Kejriwal said.

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In a letter to the Prime Minister, Kejriwal requested reserving at least 7,000 central government hospital beds out of the 10,000 beds in Delhi for Covid patients, and immediate supply of oxygen.

“The Covid situation has become very serious in Delhi. There is huge shortage of beds and oxygen,” he said in the letter.

He said the positivity rate has gone up from 24 per cent to 30 per cent within a day and the healthcare infrastructure was feeling the pressure due to rapidly depleting hospital beds and oxygen supplies.

Earlier in the day, the chief minister said that less than 100 ICU beds are available in the national capital where over 25,500 new cases have been reported in a single day.

Kejriwal accused the Centre of reducing the normal supply of oxygen to the national capital and diverting its quota to other states.

In a separate order, the Delhi government ordered all nursing homes and private hospitals to reserve 80 per cent ward beds and ICU beds for Covid-19 patients.

The Chief Minister also requested the three municipal corporations in Delhi to increase the number of beds and strengthen medical infrastructure in their hospitals in view of the surge in Covid-19 cases in the national capital.

In a virtual meeting with the mayors and commissioners of the three municipal corporations, Kejriwal said his government will make PPE kits, oxygen supplies available to the hospital beds offered by the corporations.

He also asked the municipal corporations to spare doctors and nurses to monitor patients at the three Covid centres being set up by the Delhi government.