13 more deaths in Goa hospital amid oxygen supply issues

PANAJI: Thirteen more Covid19 patients died at the Goa Medical College and Hospital early on Friday morning, reportedly after a fluctuation in the supply of medical oxygen, taking to 75 the number of people who have succumbed at the government-run facility in the last four days. Goa bench of the Bombay high court is hearing petitions related to deaths allegedly due to a shortage of oxygen.

Oxygen levels at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) fluctuated yet again on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, reportedly causing another 13 deaths. Resident doctors began reporting fluctuations around 9.30pm that went on till 2.30am in the wards assigned to Covid patients.

GMCH, which has now seen 75 deaths owing to similar problems over the past few days, has reported fluctuations for six nights in a row now.

Patients’ relatives began sending out SOS messages on social media, prompting officials from the health department, including health secretary Ravi Dhawan, to rush to the hospital to ensure the oxygen supply was restored, which happened around 2.30am.

“Health department officials have reached the site (and have) said they were trying the dura cylinders (new bigger cylinders that are being installed at GMC), which is why the drop happened,” Shruti Chaturvedi, who has filed a petition in the high court over Covid management in the state, said.

Goa Forward Pary chief Vijai Sardesai claimed that 13 people succumbed due to the low levels of oxygen on Thursday and 75 over four nights, a figure that was not independently confirmed by the health authorities. PTI cited a senior health official as confirming that 13 more patients, admitted in various Covid-19 wards in the GMCH, died in the early hours of Friday.

“In all, 75 people have died during the dark hour, that is between 1am and 6am, in the last four consecutive nights. On the 10th (May) night, it was 26 people, on the 11th night, it was 21 people, on the 12th night it was 15 people and now, last night, it was 13 people. So, 75 people have died on four consecutive nights, because of oxygen shortage, basically mismanagement of oxygen supply at GMCH,” Sardesai said.

The Goa government has claimed before the Bombay high court’s Goa bench which is currently hearing a bunch of petitions concerning Covid management in the state, that the issues plaguing the GMCH are logistical rather than about supply. “There were logistical issues involved in manoeuvring the tractor which carries the trolleys of oxygen, and in connecting the cylinders to the manifold,” the state government told the court on Thursday.