After shortage notice, Lucknow hospital claims denied oxygen; admin says untrue

The in-charge at Awadh Oxygen, which supplies oxygen, told The Indian Express that no such direction was given by the ADM.

Two days after an FIR was filed against Sun Hospital in Lucknow for allegedly spreading a rumour of oxygen shortage, hospital authorities on Friday alleged that the district administration had asked the supplier not to give them oxygen, a claim the administration denied.

The in-charge at Awadh Oxygen, which supplies oxygen, told The Indian Express that no such direction was given by the ADM.

In the evening, the hospital claimed to have received five oxygen cylinders from against its demand of 25. Twenty Covid-19 patients are on oxygen support at the facility at present.

On Friday night, the hospital’s manager, Akhilesh Pandey, told The Indian Express that there are 22 patients at the hospital, of whom 20 are on oxygen support. He said back-up oxygen supply at the hospital will run out at 11 pm. “I called the ADM. He said that it was not his concern and asked me to hang up. What will I do when oxygen runs out? It will result in ruckus,” he said.

On Wednesday, Lucknow administration had filed an FIR against the hospital, accusing it of spreading “rumours” of oxygen shortage. On Thursday, the hospital, which had put up a notice on May 3 asking relatives to take away patients since it was facing an oxygen shortage, said it would move the Allahabad High Court over the FIR.

On Friday morning, Pandey said, “Our usual supplier, Awadh Gas Agency, has been told to not provide us oxygen. When my employee went there to get oxygen this morning, he was told that the ADM had ordered not to provide oxygen to Sun Hospital.”

“Initially, we were told that till we have a written permission from the ADM, oxygen will not be supplied to Sun Hospital. We were informed that ADM (East) KP Singh had specifically said that oxygen will not be supplied to Sun Hospital. After some paperwork and repeated requests, we were finally allotted only five oxygen cylinders when our demand was for 25,” Pandey said.

On Pandey’s claim, Lucknow ADM (East) KP Singh said: “This is not true. I don’t have any idea about this. Why will we say something like this? I think there is no supply at Awadh (agency) at this point. Maybe because of that they have been denied (supply). I got a call from someone at Awadh and I directed that oxygen should be provided to them (Sun Hospital).

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