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The shortage of oxygen in hospitals has created havoc, and the governments have failed Indians during the second COVID wave. It is unforgivable!

One can understand that the Hospital’s capacity could have been scaled up quickly, but one cannot scale up the healthcare staff – Doctors, Nurses, and Para Medics in such a short time. But lacking supply of Oxygen in the Hospitals is beyond comprehension! The State Governments could have proactively ramped up the manufacturing unit and the supply chain at the industrial level.

Before we further delve into where we miss, we must keep in mind that “Health” is a state subject, and each state governments have enough funds to set up a few oxygen plants. One Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plant can be set up in few weeks at the cost of “one day’s advertisement cost” of a Municipality CM.

One year before, on April 7, 2020, the Central government had issued a circular requesting States/UTs to grant permission to manufacture oxygen for medical use in light of the COVID19 pandemic. The Central Govt. also sanctioned 162 PSAs under the PM CARES Fund alone. But this alone cannot absolve the Central Government from the responsibilities.

What did the respective State Governments do?

Out of 162 sanctioned by the Central Govt, only 33 had been installed – 5 in Madhya Pradesh, 4 in Himachal Pradesh, 3 each in Chandigarh, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand, 2 each in Bihar, Karnataka, and Telangana; and 1 each in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh.

That’s a colossal failure of the healthcare bureaucracy and the political executive.

None could preempt the fierceness with which the virus would strike the second time. With the signs there with Maharashtra already witnessing a rise, the coordination and alarm could have been activated slightly earlier by the Central Government. The issue also has been that people had developed COVID fatigue, so raising awareness probably would have also fallen on deaf ears. That we came out fine from the first wave gave this sense to many of us that nothing will happen to us, throwing caution to the wind.

Also, since 2014, “federal structure,’ and “state subject” have consistently found no place in any narrative and the buck always stops at PM Modi. That’s the kind of expectation he has created. It is unfair to say that the Central Govt could have made a more robust collective call to action. So be it. All expectations rest with one man, PM Modi.

The fact is, The Central Government did circulate a call to action:

But there’s more to it.

The medical oxygen scarcity runs across India. However, the distress calls haven’t come from other parts of the country as frequently as in Delhi. While Delhi Govt. was sleeping, most of the country was primarily, if not entirely, prepared for oxygen needs. That is why we see such an acute oxygen crisis concentrated in Delhi and a certain extent in Maharashtra and UP.

The truth is that there’s always way too much attention on Delhi, even in regular times. This time the oxygen crisis in Delhi is genuine and is naturally getting amplified all the more. The acute shortage of oxygen is not general in the whole of India. Just because it runs on TV News Channels 24×7, it has created hysteria across the country.

So let us focus on the crisis of Delhi.

Setting up oxygen plants in Delhi was Kejriwal’s job. He was asked to do so and was also given funds to set up 8 of them back in Dec 2020. He set up just ONE. He perpetually appeared on ads on TV instead, claiming how Delhi is defeating COVID.

After initial reports on media, Max Hospital moved the Court, saying that they were on dangerously low oxygen supply levels. Delhi High Court had convened to hold an urgent hearing that exposed the ugly reality. The Court ordered that the “central government should review the allocation of oxygen on a day to day basis so that its utilization is achieved most efficiently.” Senior Advocate Rahul Mehra, appearing for the Delhi government, said that out of allocated 480MT, Delhi is getting 350-380MT because Arvind Kejriwal did nothing for transportation.

Just notice how Delhi HC comments on the absolute shameless incompetence of Kejriwal.

While hospitals in Delhi face the most severe shortage of oxygen due to a surge in Covid-19 cases, it emerged that Arvind Kejriwal never talked to the center about it before meeting the PM on April 23. But he continues to play politics over the crisis. By breaking the protocol, he leaked the live telecast of a private meet between the PM and CMs. He was seen with folded hands and a low voice, appealing to the Prime Minister to ‘make few phone calls to some states and solve the National Capital’s Oxygen emergency.

What a dirty man!

The Court also suggested that the central government and Delhi government work together to ensure a smooth supply of oxygen to hospitals. They also asked the Delhi Govt. to make all-out efforts to procure cryogenic tankers to transport oxygen from the production plants.

Maharashtra and MP had approached the Ministry of Railways on April 15 to explore the feasibility of transporting Liquid Medical Oxygen tankers by rail from various locations across the country. Railways are running oxygen express to cater to every state that sends requests for it. After the detailed planning and sourcing of suitable wagons and tankers, Oxygen Express started moving from Vizag to Mumbai on April 19. Railways had constructed ramps in just 24 hours to load and unload the road tankers. Immediately, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh also came forward with the request for the same.

But a statement by the Indian railways revealed that Delhi did not approach the railways for the same. Even after Delhi Govt requested Oxygen Express yesterday, no empty cryogenic tankers were received by the railways. If the entire state machinery can’t arrange even tankers, what right do they have to continue governing the state?

Here is some scathing excerpt of the Delhi HC court order:

Four oxygen tankers have left from Panagarh airbase in West Bengal this evening. These high-capacity tankers arrived from Singapore onboard an IAF C17 transport aircraft. The Central Govt is taking these actions on war footage in coordination with other state Governments.

Uttar Pradesh Government, through strict vigil, managed to ease the supply of medicines from the clutches of Black marketers. The UP admin freed two hundred beds in Noida and Greater Noida occupied by people who didn’t need them.

In such moments of crisis, one hopes the governments to look for a solution proactively.

But Kejriwal’s three-point governance model is – Blame! Blame! And Blame! After getting a mouthful from the Delhi HC, his deputy Manish Sisodia directed the blame towards Hospitals, accusing them of creating panic.

For the last one month since the second COVID strike created havoc, Arvind Kejriwal’s only job is to keep the media shut through ad budgets.

I am sure everyone has witnessed his brazenness, yet, look at this:

Kejriwal has shifted the narrative again to the pricing of vaccines. And if that was not enough we came across the most perversive decision one could ever imagine. The Kejriwal government orders to convert 100 rooms of 5-Star Ashoka Hotel for setting up of a Covid Health facility for Justices and other judicial officers of the Delhi High Court and their families.

Indian politics has seen criminals, nepotism, and corruption. We have witnessed corrupt and inept politicians. But never a Kejriwal! This man is the worst thing that happened to Indian politics. He knows he is responsible for thousands of deaths. But this “Ghoul of Delhi” also knows it is a lifetime opportunity to use the dead bodies as his ladder for political success.

The sad part, NO ONE from the mainstream media is surprised at this behavior. For few bucks thrown at them as ad money, the entire Left-liberal media (the tragedy porn cabal) encourage, accept, justify, and divert the blame to the other side.

Presstitutes!!