Top court orders Indian government to present oxygen plan
The health-care system has been stretched to the limit with beds, oxygen and medical workers in short supply.
PRETORIA, May 5 (ANA) – India’s government was on Wednesday ordered by the Supreme Court to submit a plan to meet New Delhi hospitals’ oxygen needs within a day, Aljazeera reported.
The broadcaster said the court decided against imposing punishment on the officials for failing to end a two-week-old inconsistent supply of oxygen to already incapacitated hospitals.
“Ultimately putting officers in jail or hauling officers for contempt will not bring oxygen. Please tell us steps to solve this,” Justice Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud was quoted saying.
The petition was filed by several hospitals and nursing homes struggling with irregular oxygen supplies, Associated Press (AP) said in its report.
On Monday, CNN reported that India’s healthcare system had been stretched to the limit by the second wave of Covid-19, with beds, oxygen and medical workers in short supply, prompting some patients to leave before recovering.
The US broadcaster said the situation is so dire that some Covid-19 patients have died in the waiting rooms or outside the overwhelmed clinics.
“Many patients have given up on hospital treatment, because they know oxygen tanks are scarce and beds are often shared,” the broadcaster said in its report.
The BBC said those who choose to remain end up waiting for up to 12 hours to get whatever comes first, a bed or oxygen. Even after receiving an oxygen tank, there are concerns that another won’t be available once it empties.
Meanwhile, government officials have said there is no shortage of oxygen, but that the challenge has come from transportation, the BBC adds.
However, the New Delhi High Court court, which had summoned two Home Ministry officials for a hearing, said that the grim reality was that hospitals were reducing the number of beds and asking patients to move elsewhere, AP added.
India is experiencing a devastating second wave of the pandemic, with more than 21 million infections and 229,756 deaths.
Authorities are scrambling to add more beds, sending oxygen from one corner of the country to another, and scaling up manufacturing of the few drugs effective against Covid-19.
AP said several countries including the United States, Britain and Germany have extended a helping hand by donating rapid virus tests, oxygen tanks, along with some materials needed in the country to boost its domestic production of Covid-19 vaccines.
– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Naomi Mackay
