MHA making efforts to ensure uninterrupted supply of oxygen to Delhi hospitals

New Delhi, Apr 20: The Union Home Ministry is making all efforts to make available oxygen to hospitals in Delhi and will try to ensure that there is no shortage of the essential public health commodity, officials said on Tuesday.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal earlier urged the Centre "with folded hands" to provide medical oxygen to Delhi, saying some hospitals will run out of it in a few hours.

The home ministry is making all efforts to smoothen the supply lines of oxygen to Delhi to deal with the shortage of medical oxygen in the capital''s hospitals, a government official said.

The central government will try to ensure uninterrupted supply of oxygen and that there is no shortage of oxygen in any hospital in Delhi, the official said.

The Centre last Friday directed the states to ensure uninterrupted movement of medical oxygen carrying vehicles along their borders and said that they must not impose any curb on production and supply of the essential public health commodity anywhere.

On Sunday, the Centre banned supply of oxygen to industrial units, except in nine specified categories.