Lucknow: Today the biggest challenge of the UP government is to make oxygen, which is most needed to save people from the coronavirus, easily available in all government and private hospitals as well. People are wandering from pillar to post to arrange oxygen cylinders themselves. The illegal black marketers are also taking advantage of this situation. People are forced to buy oxygen cylinders from the market at a price higher than the fixed prices of the government, which is not in a position to do anything. The speed of corona infection is increasing rapidly in the state. In the last 24 hours, more than 30 thousand cases have been reported from across the state.
Faced with a huge number of corona cases, the State’s health systems have become totally helpless. The increasing number of patients has left all hospitals overcrowded. The hospitals have no beds or little beds to admit new patients. Wherever there are beds and patients have been admitted, they are dying for want of oxygen. This condition is prevalent not only in Lucknow, the capital of the state but across the entire state. Patients losing their battle against Covid-19 and the screaming of the aggrieved loved ones are just revealing the health of the state’s health system and that of the government.
Although the negligence of the people is also responsible for the increasing cases of the corona, the shortcomings of the government arrangement cannot be ignored. The entire Cabinet is busy campaigning in five states including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, while people are dying for want of critical medical support.
Oxygen crisis in Lucknow
The condition of coronavirus in the capital city of Lucknow is getting frightening day by day. Most beds in Covid-19 hospitals are full. For want of timely treatment and lack of oxygen, the health of patients living in home isolation is also deteriorating. The city’s oxygen plant has a capacity of filling 4,500 cylinders every day, while the demand has increased to 5,500. In the past 24 hours, 5,551 cases have been reported in Lucknow alone, while 22 people have lost their lives.
Only 70 per cent of patients are getting oxygen in Varanasi
In the last 24 hours, 1,597 positive cases were reported in Varanasi. At the same time, 1,148 new cases have been reported till 11 am on Monday. Here the number of active cases has increased to 16,143. At the same time, 10 people lost their lives till 7 pm yesterday. Meanwhile, 2011 beds have been arranged for the treatment of corona patients. Out of these, 1200 beds have oxygen facilities.
However, in terms of the availability of oxygen, the supply is reaching only 70 per cent of the needy patients. The District Magistrate has said that presently the supply is coming from Chandauli’s oxygen plant. The new plant is running in Mirzapur and another in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, from where 200 to 300 cylinders are being supplied daily. He said that 3250 cylinders are being ordered daily from the surrounding districts.
600-bed reserve for patients in Mathura