Beg, borrow, steal! It’s your duty to keep patients alive: Key points from Delhi HC hearing

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday slammed the Centre over its "inability" to immediately divert oxygen supply to hospitals from industries, asking if human lives are not important for the government.

Here are the key points from the hearing:

1. "We are shocked and dismayed that the government does not seem to be mindful of extremely urgent need of oxygen supply," a bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said.

2. "Today, we are in a dire state. Today we are in a situation that we might lose thousands of lives. As a government, it’s your responsibility to supply oxygen for patients. It’s your duty," the bench told the Centre's counsel.

Read | Provide oxygen forthwith to hospitals by whatever means, Delhi High Court tells Centre

3. The court was hearing an urgent plea by Max Hospitals on Wednesday evening as they claimed to have been left with just two-three hours of oxygen against 1,400 Covid patients.

4. The court told the Union government to beg, borrow or steal but ensure sufficient supply of oxygen as people cannot be left to die.

5. The bench said the Centre should take over production of oxygen from steel and petroleum plants, even if it meant that such industries had to stop production for sometime.

6. "If Tatas can divert oxygen meant for its captive plant, why can't others do so? There is no sense of humanity left. What are we looking at?" the bench asked.

7. "It is the responsibility of State to arrange the supply (of oxygen). You cannot say we can arrange this much and people have to die. We cannot accept that. We cannot see people dying because oxygen is not available," the bench said.

8. The court directed the Union government to ensure safe and unobstructed passage of oxygen from base of production to recipients throughout the country. It also asked the Delhi government to provide logistical support in the process.

As more states and individuals file cases over lack of oxygen supply and mismanagement of the Covid crisis, the Supreme Court on Thursday decided to hear suo motu a case on the Covid-19 situation and management by the government. It also told the Centre that it wants a “national plan” on issues including supply of oxygen and essential drugs for treatment of patients infected with the virus.

(With agency inputs)