Egypt health ministry confirms availability of oxygen in all hospitals

The Egyptian Ministry of Health confirmed the availability of oxygen in sufficient quantities in all hospitals treating patients with coronavirus, stressing that the state spares no effort to preserve the health of citizens during the pandemic.

In a statement issued following the death of six coronavirus patients in two public hospitals due to alleged lack of oxygen, the ministry said it has a stock of more than 350,000 litres of medical oxygen, stressing that any patient in need of a ventilator and intensive care can go to a public hospital, even if they are not diagnosed with COVID-19.

According to the statement, as many as 363 hospitals are currently being used to treat coronavirus patients as the second wave of the virus spreads across the country, with 34,000 available beds.

Sources in the ministry warned that some citizens have resorted to buying or storing oxygen cylinders and using them without medical supervision to treat critical cases of COVID-19, which has serious health precautions.

On Monday, Egyptian prosecutors opened an investigation into the deaths of coronavirus patients at two public hospitals after a video of nurses struggling to keep patients alive was shared widely on social media.

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