Kin go on rampage in hosp after 5 die of ‘O2 shortage’
MEERUT : The angry family members of patients went on rampage, damaging furniture, monitors, in Meerut’s Nutema hospital on Sunday after five Covid-19 affected persons allegedly died due to low pressure of oxygen during treatment.
The district administration has formed a two-member committee to investigate the matter.
“We have formed a committee to investigate the matter and action would be initiated on the findings of the committee,” said district magistrate K Balaji.
Balaji claimed the administration was providing oxygen cylinders to hospitals.
The incident, however, has left the doctors’ fraternity shocked.
Dr Manisha Tyagi, secretary of district unit of Indian Medical Association (IMA), said it was the third hospital where family members went on rampage after their patients were denied admission due to heavy load in hospital or death of patient due to paucity of oxygen.
She claimed that Nutema hospital management had sent SOS messages to the chief medical officer (CMO), DM and other officials regarding low level of oxygen and has also requested for deployment of force in anticipation of possible outburst of family members of patients.
CMO Dr Akhilesh Mohan said his office don’t deal in supplying oxygen. He said that he receives many calls in a day and possibly his team might have
received and forwarded the SOS message to the administrative officials taking care of oxygen supply in the district.
The CMO said that team has been formed to investigate the matter.
Dr Amit Upadhya, director of Nutema hospital, said presently 78 patients are undergoing treatment in the hospital and of these over 50 are Covid-19 patients. He explained that demand of oxygen depends on the condition of patients as critical patients need high level flow of oxygen and can face fatal impact if oxygen pressure goes low. He said doctors are left with no option but to keep the pressure low if there is a paucity of gas.Dr Upadhya said hospital keep on sending SOS calls and messages to officials as per their requirement of oxygen and presently his hospitals receive supply of 200 oxygen cylinders. He admitted that hospitals are still facing shortage of oxygen supply. Dr Anil Nausran, former secretary of IMA, also expressed his dismay over the incident and demanded that the district administration depute a person at each hospital to keep a close watch on availability of oxygen and to coordinate with the administration to ensure its timely supply.