The healthcare system in India is collapsing. A record number of Covid-19 cases place strain on hospital beds and deplete oxygen supplies.
Many critically ill patients are felt with their families. Some patients have gone hours without treatment. The crematoriums are organizing mass funerals. On Friday, India announced 332,730 new cases of COVID 19, with 2,263 deaths in just 24 hours.
A consultant at Delhi\’s Sir Ganga Ram hospital said that there had been a \”massive influx\” of patients, leaving the emergency room overcrowded.
They don\’t have many oxygen points, he said, so they\’re all in use. Patients are either bringing their own oxygen bottles or not bringing any at all. Patients have not been able to facilitate because there aren\’t enough beds or oxygen points.
He went on to say that phone lines are blocked, ambulances are overflowing, and crowds are forming outside nearly every hospital in Maharashtra and across India.
Hell on Earth
India\’s worst-affected state is Maharashtra. It is facing an extreme oxygen shortage. At least 13 patients died after a fire broke out in an ICU treating COVID patients in Mumbai, the state capital.
Two days ago, 24 COVID patients died in India. This was due to oxygen leaks from their cylinders.
Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana are three other states where there is a critical scarcity. The Indian Air Force is used to transport oxygen tankers and supplies across the world.
The Indian Supreme Court has declared this as an \”economic emergency\”. As one of India\’s leading virologists puts it, it\’s a \”total breakdown of the goddamn system.\” Life has become a blessing in hotspots like Delhi and Mumbai.
Import of Oxygen
India will now import mobile oxygen generation plants and containers from Germany for deployment at Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) hospitals treating Covid-19 patients due to a lack of oxygen tankers and the influx of patients.
The AFMS has agreed to import 23 mobile oxygen generation plants. In less than a week, they will arrive in India. Each plant can produce 40 litres of oxygen per minute and 2,400 litres per hour. It can also provide oxygen to 20-25 patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
From Pakistan with Love and Precautions
However, in an unexpected turn of events, Pakistanis have started the hashtag #Indianneedsoxygen on social media. The tweet request that the Pakistani government assist in providing much-needed oxygen to their neighbour.
Lastly, some people sent prayers for India\’s condition to improve. Although some voiced concern about the situation in India, others called for a coronavirus ban in Pakistan. The Eidhi Foundation has penned down a letter to PM Modi offering their humanitarian help to the people of India.
Unfortunately, no one is safe from COVID19 in India. Many high profile people including Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and former Indian prime minister Manmohan Sigh, have been diagnosed with coronavirus.
