No Oxygen, two Covid centres await nod

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 19

Two free Covid care centres in the district are yet to get approval from the district administration due to a “shortage” of oxygen.

Dr Vitul K Gupta, a city-based doctor, said he had handed over his hospital to NGO Naujawan Welfare Society for the free treatment of Covid patients. However, it was yet to be made functional in the absence of approval from the district administration, which had been pending since May 9.

Similarly, various NGOs in association with the district administration have set up a Covid care centre at Meritorious School on the Badal road, but it is also yet to be made functional. Finance Minister Manpreet Badal also visited the centre today to take stock of arrangements. Residents said if there was a shortage of oxygen, then the quota of private hospitals should be reduced because they were fleecing patients. Oxygen should immediately be made available at these free Covid care centres, so that poor patients could get some relief, they demanded.

Dr Gupta said, “It is unfortunate that the district administration has failed to arrange oxygen for the free Covid centres, whereas it has added around 500 beds in private hospitals since May 1.”

SAD chief Sukhbir Badal said the shortage of oxygen continued to be a cause for concern, besides unavailability of medicines and ventilators.

DC B Srinivasan said, “Permission has not been given to Kishore Ram Hospital, Meritorious School and others to start Covid centres due to shortage of oxygen. We will have to check the availability of cylinders.”