No End For Oxygen Crisis, 11 Patients Die At TN Govt Hospital, Private Ones Knock Court's Doors

Hospitals across the country are struggling to ensure an adequate supply of medical oxygen for the critically ill covid-19 patients under their care.

At least 11 patients died at the Government Chengalpattu Medical College Hospital in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday night.

Though it is alleged that the patients died due to oxygen shortage, senior officials said it is not the case as the hospital has sufficient stock.

AFP

"As per initial reports, the hospital has sufficient stock of oxygen. It is not an oxygen supply issue. Only an inquiry would reveal as to the cause of death," J. Radhakrishnan, Health Secretary said.

Couple of days ago at the Government Vellore Medical College Hospital, relatives of patients alleged the deaths of six patients were due to disruption in supply of oxygen.

According to the official, work on the hospital's oxygen plant was underway and the relatives of the Covid-19 patients who died alleged that the death was due to disruption in oxygen supply.

BCCL

"There are over 150 patients in the hospital's Covid-19 ward. Supply of oxygen to several patients did not get disrupted," the official added.

This is the latest in a series of unfolding tragedies from across India, where even some of the biggest hospitals in the biggest cities had to plea on their knees, begging for oxygen supplies.

Many hospitals are taking to social media with desperate pleas, while others are seeking the help of courts as a last-ditch effort to keep their patients alive.

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For the past several days, hospitals across the national capital and its suburbs have been sending out SOS messages on social media about a shortage of oxygen.

Madhukar Rainbow Children's Hospital in Malviya Nagar sounded an alarm about their depleting stocks of oxygen around 10:30 pm, saying 50 lives hung by a thread.

Dinesh Vashishth, the head of the hospital, said the private healthcare facility had 45 minutes of oxygen left.

¡°Fifty people, including four newborns, are on oxygen support,¡± he said, adding refilled cylinders are expected to reach the hospital.

¡°However, a delay of even five minutes may lead to a tragedy,¡± he said.

The hospital does not have an oxygen storage tank and depends on oxygen cylinders from a private vendor.

"We require around 125 oxygen cylinders a day," Vashishth said.

AP

Triton Hospital, where more than 10 babies are in the neonatal intensive care unit, had sent an SOS around 9:30 am.

"We have got 3 D-type cylinders, it will keep us afloat for 3-4 hours. We need around 25 cylinders a day. Our vehicle is waiting at the suppliers' plant. The vendor hasn't given us anything so far," said Dr Deepali Gupta from the hospital.

Around 4 pm, Sama Hospital near Siri Fort had reported an oxygen crisis. The hospital has 30 critical patients and few admitted few are on ventilator.

Around 1 am, the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, Vasant Kunj, which has 160 Covid-19 patients on 24-hour oxygen support had said it is left with another 25 metric tonnes of the life-saving gas and sought help at the earliest.

The Delhi High court in the past week and this week saw several petitions by hospitals seeking oxygen supplies.

On Sunday, with just 30 minutes of oxygen left for 42 virus patients at Sitaram Bhartia hospital, and new supplies nowhere in sight, hospital authorities approached the Delhi court as a "last resort" for help, lawyer Shyel Trehan said.

The judges ordered the Delhi government to immediately arrange supplies.

"Oxygen cylinders arrived soon after the hearing, and a tank arrived a few hours later," Trehan said.