Delhi s autorickshaws become ambulances Published: 12:54 AM, May 07, 2021
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It s not the most convenient way to get to the hospital, but with Delhi running short of ambulances, authorities have turned some of the city s ubiquitous three-wheeled autorickshaws into makeshift ambulances to ferry COVID-19 patients.
Actual ambulances are hard to come by as a devastating surge in cases overwhelms the healthcare system. Families have had to make their own arrangements including paying exorbitant amounts to private ambulance operators to take the sick to hospital.
The Delhi government, in association with a non-profit organization, has kitted out more than a dozen autorickshaws with hand sanitizers and face masks, while oxygen cylinders are provided on a need basis. The service, which began officially on Tuesday, is free.
The Delhi Corona app started showing the oxygen availability status in the hospitals.
New Delhi:
The Delhi Corona app, which provides information on beds and ventilators at hospitals in the city, on Wednesday started showing the oxygen availability status of these facilities.
As per the latest updates on the app, the Centre-run Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi has 18 hours of medical oxygen left.
Batra Hospital, where 12 patients died on Saturday due to an oxygen shortage, has 12 hours supply left of the life-saving gas.
The app, however, shows that the National Heart Institute in East of Kailash has 999 days and 23 hours of the gas left in its reserve.
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The Group of Seven meeting in London was hit by a COVID-19 scare on Wednesday when India s foreign minister and his entire team said they were self-isolating after two delegation members tested positive.
Britain has hosted the three-day foreign ministers meeting, which has been billed as a chance to restart face-to-face diplomacy and an opportunity for the West to show a united front against threats from China and Russia.
India, currently undergoing the world s worst surge in COVID-19 cases, is attending the G7 as a guest and had been due to take part in meetings on Tuesday evening and throughout Wednesday.
Women mourn the death of a family member, outside the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, in New Delhi, India.
Photo: AFP
The prime minister is resisting the move due to the economic impact.
India added more than 355,000 cases on Tuesday, down from more than 400,000 daily infections on 30 April.
The government said that cases are slowing down , but testing numbers have also dipped, meaning the true caseload could be far higher.
Confirmed infection numbers have however been consistently falling in Maharashtra state, which has driven the second wave since early April.
The decision to impose restrictions in India is made by individual state authorities, rather than the central government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that states should only consider restrictions as a last option.