Covid-19 in India: Patients struggle at home as hospitals choke

BBC News

By Vikas Pandey
Picture Courtesy: GETTY IMAGES via BBC
Picture Courtesy: GETTY IMAGES via BBC

Most hospitals in Delhi and many other cities in India have completely run out of beds, forcing people to find ways to get treatment for sick patients at home. But even that is proving to be a difficult task as prices of oxygen cylinders, concentrators and essential medicines have skyrocketed on the black market.

Anshu Priya spent most of her Sunday looking for an oxygen cylinder as her father-in-law's condition continued to deteriorate. She couldn't find any hospital bed in Delhi or in its suburb of Noida. Her search for an oxygen cylinder in shops was also futile, forcing her to turn to the black market.

She paid the hefty amount of 50,000 rupees ($670; £480) to procure a cylinder from the black market. It costs 6,000 rupees in normal times.

Her mother-in-law is also struggling to breathe and Anshu is now worried about her. She says she may not be able to afford another cylinder on the black market.

Publish : 2021-04-26 13:43:00

Give Your Comments