Amid soaring Covid-19 cases in the Delhi, city's Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday said that hospitals in the national capital are running in short of ICU beds. He said that the government has requested Centre to provide 7,000 ICU beds.
"We have demanded 7,000 beds in Central government-run hospitals, they have given us around 2000," news agency ANI quoted Jain as saying.
He added that there is a grave Oxygen crisis in Delhi for last few days and thaked the Centre for increasing Delhi's quota.
"It is making allocations to all states. Delhi's quota was less than requirement, they increased it now. If crisis is resolved in a day or 2, number of beds will be increased," Jain said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal thanked the Centre for raising the city's oxygen quota. Addressing the media on the prevailing situation in the national capital, Kejriwal said that the Centre has helped the government in the last two-three days and assured smooth supply of oxygen.
"Delhi is facing Oxygen crisis for past few days. Centre fixes Oxygen quota for all states. As per Delhi government's estimate, the city needs 700 tons/day, Centre had fixed it to 378 tons earlier and increased it to 480 tons yesterday. We need more but we're thankful to them for this," he said.
Kejriwal said that the city government has taken several steps to increase the medical infrastructure in the city in the last two days and it will be increased in the coming days.
Several private and government hospitals in the national capital are running low on medical oxygen for COVID-19 patients. Although the Centre raised the national capital's oxygen quota from 378 metric tonnes to 480 metric tonnes on Wednesday, several hospitals are struggling to replenish oxygen supply. While some big healthcare facilities received fresh stock overnight, small hospitals have been grappling with a shortage of oxygen supply amid spiralling COVID-19 cases.
Delhi recorded 24,638 fresh COVID-19 cases and 249 deaths due to the viral disease on Wednesday while the positivity rate stood at 31.28 per cent, meaning almost every third sample tested positive, amid a growing clamour for oxygen and hospital beds in the city.
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