-The Hindu A catastrophe has hit India and there is no sign that the ferocious second wave is being dealt with competently Earlier this week, a young woman in Uttar Pradesh tweeted a cry for help. Her grandmother’s oxygen level had fallen to 40. “Pls help us in getting one bed in hospital in Bareilly,” she wrote in desperation. Soon a handle that called itself “Team Hindu Unlimited” was on her: “Stop...

-The Hindu Business Line Kerala’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic has been the subject of international conversation about public health systems. Piloting Kerala’s fight against the pandemic is the State’s Health Minister and CPI(M)’s Central Committee member KK Shailaja who speaks exclusively to BusinessLine about the criticality of publicly-run healthcare and how the need of the hour is to nationalise the system. Excerpts: * What are the lessons to be learnt from...

-The Telegraph Many hospitals in Lucknow and other parts of the state had put up notices declaring an oxygen shortage and advising families to shift patients elsewhere Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has sent out a clear message to the state’s hospitals: keep your mouth shut about any oxygen crisis or face action. At an online meeting on Sunday evening, Adityanath asked senior administrative and police officers, including divisional commissioners and inspectors-general, to crack...

-The Indian Express Many groups, previously engaged with blood donation, have also stepped up to the task. From fulfilling plasma needs, these volunteers are now working on getting ventilators, oxygen cylinders, hospitals beds and medicines. For over a week, citizen volunteers across the country, from students to social media influencers, have been responding to SOS requests on Twitter from Covid patients seeking oxygen, ventilators, hospital beds, plasma and medicines. The website has become...

-The Hindu Several others make desperate calls for supplies The shortage of medical oxygen in the national capital region came to a head with one of the largest hospitals, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, reporting on Friday morning that 25 severely ill patients had died in the past 24 hours and 60 other patients were at risk. Several other hospitals also reported dwindling supplies even as the number of COVID-19 patients mounted. Artemis Hospital...