Five Covid patients die in Hisar hospital , kin allege O2 shortage

THIRD INCIDENT IN STATE IN 24 HOURS. AS MANY AS 13 PATIENTS HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES ALLEGEDLY TO OXYGEN CRUNCH IN HOSPITALS; HISAR VICTIMS’ KIN STAGE A PROTEST OUTSIDE THE PVT HOSPITAL

Five Covid-19 patients died at a private hospital in Haryana’s Hisar district on Monday, with the relatives of the deceased alleging that the deaths occurred due to a shortage of medical oxygen at the facility.

All five patients who died at the Soni Burn Hospital were above 45 and three were above 60, the hospital staff said. Four hailed from Hisar and one from Punjab.

Hisar deputy superintendent of police Rajbir Singh confirmed that five patients who were infected with Covid-19 died at the hospital but added that the exact cause of death was yet to be ascertained. “The relatives of the deceased, who also staged a protest, alleged that all of them were on ventilator support and died due to shortage of oxygen supply. The hospital authorities have not spoken on the issue yet,” he added.

Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said a magisterial probe was ordered into the incident.

“There is no oxygen shortage either in Hisar or at any other place,” he said.

But relatives of the deceased said the lack of medical oxygen was responsible for the incident.

“The doctors failed to provide proper treatment to my uncle and he died due to shortage of oxygen supply,” the nephew of a 42-year-old deceased said.

The brother of a 43-year-old victim said he also visited another hospital to bring a cylinder but in vain as the patient passed away before his return.

The oxygen reportedly ran out of supply at 12am on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. After several efforts to ensure supply, the hospital staff later purportedly brought two gas cylinders from another private hospital but till then, all five had died. Three manufacturing units in Hisar provide nine metric tonnes of oxygen to various hospitals in Hisar, Agroha and Sirsa, which is more than sufficient, an official said.

“The oxygen is being supplied to various hospitals as per patients numbers. There is no shortage of oxygen in the district,” the official added.

This is the third incident of Covid-19 patients dying, allegedly of oxygen shortage in the state, in the past 24 hours.

A day ago, four patients each died at private hospitals in Gurugram and Rewari respectively, allegedly due to shortage of oxygen supply. An inquiry was ordered in both the cases.

Four people died at Rewari’s Virat hospital on Sunday afternoon and four other critically ill Covid-19 patients, who were on ventilator support at Kathuria hospital in Gurugram, died due to shortage of oxygen supply, according to hospital management. Kathuria Hospital owner Dr AK Kathuria said they had informed the health department regarding the oxygen supply. However, around 3pm, the cylinders went empty and four patients lost their lives, he said.

Virat Hospital operational head Dharmender Kumar said that 114 Covid-infected patients were undergoing treatment at the hospital.

“Three patients died in ICU, while one died in the ward. We need over 300 oxygen cylinders on a daily basis, but our supply has been reduced. We have been repeatedly reporting this to the administration,” he added.

Hisar deputy commissioner Priyanka Soni said a probe will be conducted into the deaths.

“A medical negligence board has been setup to analysis the reasons behind the deaths,” she added.