11 Covid Patients Die As Hospital Runs Into Issues With Its Oxygen Supply At Tirupati For 5 Mins

The government run hospital faced a disruption in the oxygen supply for 5 minutes during which 11 patients lost their lives.

Tirupati: In a tragic incident at least 11 Covid-19 patients died due to an issue with the oxygen supply inside the ICU in Government-run Ruia Hospital late on Monday night. 

About 30 doctors were immediately rushed into the ICU to stabilise the patients.

There was a five-minute lag in reloading the oxygen cylinder that caused the pressure to drop, resulting in the deaths, Chittoor district Collector M Hari Narayanan said.

"The oxygen supply was restored within five minutes and everything is now normal. Because of this we could prevent more casualties," Hari Narayanan said.

"The incident occurred around 8-8.30 p.m. Due to oxygen pressure issues, 11 patients who were on ventilator support lost their lives. This happened in a span of five minutes. The oxygen tanker arrived and the situation was quickly brought under control," the collector was quoted by The New Indian Express.

The Collector said there was no scarcity of oxygen in the hospital and adequate supply was in place. In all, about 700 Covid-19 patients were undergoing treatment in the ICU and oxygen beds in Ruia while another 300 were in normal wards.

Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed grief over the incident. He spoke to the district collector and directed that a detailed investigation be conducted into the incident. Jagan directed the officials to ensure that such incidents did not recur. He stressed that the focus should also be on maintenance and not just on oxygen transportation and supply.

Last week, 24 patients including COVID-19 patients, died at Chamarajanagar District Hospital due to oxygen shortage among others reasons. Preliminary investigations revealed that the oxygen supplies to the district hospital was diverted to nearby Mysuru. However, it is still not clear as who ordered for diverting the cylinder-supply from Chamarajnagar to Mysuru. 

According to a TOI report, Chamarajnagar deputy commissioner Dr M R Ravi said that 12 of the deceased died due to oxygen shortage while the others have succumbed to various comorbidities and underlying medical conditions. 

(With agency inputs)