At least 11 Covid-19 patients who were undergoing treatment at Sri Venkateswara Ramnarayan Ruia government hospital in Tirupati died due to oxygen shortage after a tanker with the gas got late by minutes. The incident took place at 8.30 pm Monday after oxygen pressure started dropping due to low supply. The oxygen supply was restored within five minutes but by that time 11 patients had already died, the officials said.
“There was a five-minute lag in reloading the oxygen cylinder that caused the pressure to drop, resulting in the deaths. The oxygen supply was restored within five minutes and everything is now normal.Because of this we could prevent more casualties,” Chittoor district Collector M Hari Narayanan told news agency PTI.
Meanwhile, kins of the deceased broke into the Covid ICU, damaged some equipment and overturned tables with injections and medicines. Officials said nurses and doctors fled the ICU fearing for their safety, returning only after police arrived and took control of the situation.
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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. The delay in arrival of oxygen tanker from Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu had triggered the crisis. Nearly 1,000 Covid patients are being treated at the hospital, from Tirupati, Chittoor, Nellore and Kadapa. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has expressed grief over the tragedy and ordered a probe into the incident.
With multiple deaths reported due to oxygen shortfall across the country, the Supreme Court last week set up a National Task Force that would devise a methodology for the ‘scientific allocation of medical oxygen’ in the country. The twelve-member team has been formed to assess and recommend the need and distribution of oxygen throughout India.
