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A devastating wave of coronavirus infections in India has seen crematoriums overwhelmed and hospitals reeling under a massive oxygen shortage.

There have been a record number of Covid cases and deaths. This exponential surge has swamped the healthcare system. Patients are seen dying in ambulances and parking lots outside hospitals – many of them gasping for breath due to a lack of oxygen, which is vital for those infected. There have been reports of hoarding and even black marketing as relatives scramble to arrange medical oxygen for their friends and kin.

What has led to this crippling shortage and what can be done to improve the situation? In this edition, we discuss the situation on the ground and the ways India can tackle its oxygen crisis.

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Contributors: Dr Sudhanshu Bankata, executive director, Batra Hospital; Puneet Singh, trustee, Khalsa Aid; Gautam Raj Anand, Mission Oxygen India