The high court on Wednesday directed the Centre to do whatever to supply medical oxygen to hospitals.
Another private hospital dedicated to COVID-19 cases approached the Delhi High Court on Thursday seeking directions for immediate supply of oxygen for seriously ill patients as it has run out of it.
The plea by Saroj Super Specialty Hospital has been listed for hearing before a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli at 3 PM.
The petition sought direction to the Centre, Delhi government, and Inox, which supplies oxygen to hospitals in Delhi, to immediately supply 3000 cubic metre of oxygen and continue the same on a daily basis during the current COVID-19 wave.
"Currently, 70 patients are critical and in intensive care and 48 patients are on invasive and non-invasive ventilator support and need high flow oxygen. The waiting list has at least 172 patients with 64 of them critical with high oxygen support requirements. Thus, the bed capacity is under-utilised due to lack of oxygen," the plea said.
It said that as of 10 AM on Thursday morning, the hospital had only an LMO (Liquid medical oxygen) supply of 60 minutes left, after which it has taken the desperate back up measure of using oxygen cylinders support which will last another few hours at the most and is likely to run out in the afternoon.
The plea said in the morning, Inox pleaded helplessness to supply oxygen when the last supply was at its brink.
The high court on Wednesday night directed the Centre to beg, borrow or steal or do whatever to supply medical oxygen to hospitals for treatment of COVID-19 patients.