Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

In Varanasi, many struggle to get ‘oxygen’ for their loved ones

- HT Correspond­ent letters@htlive.com

VARANASI: The surge in COVID-19 cases is leading to panic among affected people here in Varanasi.

While most of them are complainin­g of delay in Covid test, the most panicky are the relatives of those Covid positive persons, whose condition is deteriorat­ing under home isolation, forcing them to search for a bed with oxygen cylinder in a Covid hospital.

“My father’s oxygen level dipped on Sunday morning. When all efforts to arrange oxygen failed, we managed to get him admitted to a private hospital. There was lot of struggle, but we managed get a bed with oxygen cylinder for my father,” said a resident of Gilat Bazar colony.

Another woman with similar ordeal was, however, not so lucky. A resident of Sunderpur area she was admitted to a private hospital listed as Covid Hospital after testing Covid positive around four days back.

She started taking medicines as per Covid protocol under the supervisio­n of a physician.

However, a day after being tested positive, she complained of problem in breathing and was admitted to a private hospital where she was put on oxygen.

“On Sunday morning, the hospital administra­tion asked me to shift the patient to another hospital since after an hour they would run short of oxygen. We immediatel­y started looking for a hospital and shifted her to another hospital in Sundapur area. After an hour, the hospital administra­tion also asked him to shift to another hospital as they too are running short of Oxygen,” he said.

Acting chief medical officer, Dr NP Singh, however, said the oxygen supply was being maintained in all the Covid hospitals.

Two day back, district magistrate Kaushalraj Sharma held a meeting with oxygen cylinder suppliers and instructed them to maintain the proper supply to Covid hospitals on a priority basis.

He also instructed the dealers to keep a vehicle ready round the clock to ensure delivery of medical oxygen as soon as any covid hospital asks for it.

“In case anyone tries to create obstructio­n in oxygen supply, action will be taken against him,” Sharma had warned.

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