Oxygen in short supply in city, chemists say many are hoarding them

Private hospitals in the city on Tuesday said they were running short on medical oxygen as the city’s health-care infra has reached a saturation point with Covid-19 cases continuing to surge, a senior government official said, after holding a meeting with the hospital representatives

Private hospitals in the city on Tuesday said they were running short on medical oxygen as the city’s health-care infra has reached a saturation point with Covid-19 cases continuing to surge, a senior government official said, after holding a meeting with the hospital representatives.

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“Hospitals have been assured that oxygen supply will be streamlined in the next two days as logistics are being arranged to get them supply from Panipat. Hospitals have cited genuine concerns about medical oxygen availability after the supply stopped from Bhiwadi,” said TC Gupta, additional chief secretary, mines and geology, employment, and housing, who has been appointed as the Covid-19 officer for Gurugram.

Even chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday, while addressing the state, said medical oxygen supply will be maintained in the state from a gas plant in Panipat.

The assurance was much-needed, hospitals managements said. Dr Vikram Singh, director of Aarvy Hospital in Civil Lines, said the oxygen supply was not reaching the hospital on time. “There has been a delay of six to seven hours in receiving supply,” he said.

The city chemists, meanwhile, alleged that there is hoarding of oxygen cylinders, as people have stored them as a precautionary measure.

They said there has been a sudden spike in the demand and the manufacturer has stopped taking orders due to the load. People have even bought oxygen packs and stored them at home without actually needing them, thereby wiping out the stock in the market.

Jatin Chachra, a chemist in Jacobpura in Sector-12A, said they have no oxygen cylinders left. “An oxygen cylinder, a B type, for example, cost ₹8,000 while a small handy pack costs between ₹200 and ₹350. Both these are not available anywhere in the city. More than 50 people came to buy them for patients and had to return empty-handed. The manufacturing and transportation are taking time but people are panicking and hoarding up stock leading to the crisis,” he said.

Another chemist on Sohna Road said they too have run out of stock as there has been no supply for the past 10 days. “People are even ready to pay double the price of a cylinder but there is no stock available anywhere,” said chemist Gurdeep Singh.

Amandeep Chauhan, district drugs controller, said the shortage is to a large extent fuelled by panic buying, with the result that several Covid patients in home isolation are being denied oxygen support after they suddenly developed respiratory issues.

“We have arranged a 12 tonne oxygen tanker for supply to hospitals in need. Even reputable dealers and pharmacies, which were earlier reliable suppliers, have run out of stock. We will take action against persons hoarding cylinders without need, if we receive complaints against them,” warned Chauhan.

Suppliers of oxygen cylinders, who leased them out in the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, said people have not returned the empty cylinders, nor have they refilled them. But they are regularly paying the rent, pointing ot the fact that they had no medical requirement for it, as yet.