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Amaravati: Eleven COVID patients, who were in the ICU, died at a government hospital at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh on Monday evening after the supply of medical oxygen was disrupted. Disturbing visuals captured the chaos inside the wards at SVR Ruia Hospital as medical staff tried to save lives.
This is another incident of COVID patients dying due to disruption in oxygen supply.
Chittoor District Collector M Hari Narayanan said that the patients' families alleged that the oxygen supply was disrupted for about 25-45 minutes. There was a five-minute lag in reloading the oxygen cylinder that caused the pressure to drop which led to the deaths.
"The oxygen supply was restored within five minutes and everything is now normal. We have connected bulk cylinders and there is no reason to worry. A major disaster was averted because of quick action by the medical staff," he said.
Sources said that the delay in the arrival of oxygen tanker from Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu had triggered the crisis. The hospital has a capacity of over 1,100 beds, there are over 100 patients in the ICU, and 400 on oxygen beds. About 30 doctors were immediately rushed into the ICU to attend to the patients.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has condoled the deaths and ordered a probe into the incident.
The deaths happened even as the Supreme Court had set up a 12-member National Task Force to look into the proper and transparent distribution of medical oxygen to all states and Union Territories.
Earlier, over 100 COVID patients died in different COVID hospitals across India due to lack of oxygen.
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