Amritsar pvt hospital barred from treating Covid patients

AMRITSAR : The district administration on Wednesday suspended the Covid care facility at Neelkanth Hospital in Amritsar after the probe committee, set up to look into the death of six patients due to shortage of oxygen, found lapses in the treatment provided by the hospital.

Six patients, four of them suffering from Covid, died at Neelkanth Hospital after oxygen supply dried up on April 24. Following CM Captain Amarinder Singh’s directions, Amritsar deputy commissioner Gurpreet Singh Khaira set up a two-member committee comprising deputy director (local bodies) Rajat Oberoi, who is also in-charge of the death analysis committee in the district, and Amritsar civil surgeon Dr Charanjit Singh to look into the matter.

The probe report submitted to the DC on Wednesday says the hospital did not meet the criteria for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. The committee said the hospital was authorised to admit level-2 Covid patients only, but it allowed even level-3 (critical) patients without informing the health department.

“There is a shortage of specialist doctors in the hospital. The hospital does not have anaesthesiologist, which is required for looking after critical patients on ventilator. The hospital management did not have any provision of buffer stock of oxygen for the treatment of critical patients and on the day of the incident, the hospital management had not informed the district administration about the oxygen shortage,” the DC said.