Five minutes lag in reloading oxygen kills 11 patients in Andhra

Tirupati: Five minutes lag in refilling oxygen cylinders caused the death of at least eleven COVID patients inside the ICU in the Ruia government hospital in Tirupati on Monday. Authorities said that the pressure of oxygen dropped due to the delay in reloading the oxygen cylinders.

"The incident occurred due to pressure issues in oxygen supply. Some of the COVID-19 patients who were on ventilator support passed away due to the drop in pressure for about five minutes. Within five minutes, the delayed tanker arrived and the issue was addressed," Chittoor District Collector M Hari Narayanan said.

However, the Collector denied the reports of a shortage of oxygen in the hospital. Adequate oxygen supply was in place, besides a full hospital tanker, he said. In all, about 700 COVID-19 patients were undergoing treatment in the ICU and oxygen beds at Ruia hospital, while another 300 were in normal wards, PTI reports.

There were so far 11 reported deaths and the rest of the patients have been treated with special care under 30 doctors in the ICU, trying to save them, added the Collector.

Expressing grief over the incident, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy ordered a detailed investigation into the incident. He asked officials to take measures to avoid any recurrence of such incidents. He said that apart from oxygen supply, there must be a focus on the management of oxygen in hospitals.