Andhra Pradesh admits some COVID patients did die due to oxygen shortage
According to media reports, only 13 states have responded, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand and Ladakh.
FollowOn Wednesday, Andhra Pradesh informed the Centre that some patients on ventilator support passed away while undergoing treatment for coronavirus due to low oxygen pressure. However, the number of deaths was not informed, which happened in Sri Venkateswara Ramnarayan Ruia Hospital in Tirupati.Â
During the Rajya Sabha session, junior Health Minister Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar informed that the state government data indicated "some patients" died in the interval between refilling the main tank and the hospital switching to its backup supply. The minister further said that the drop in the pressure in the oxygen lines led to insufficient oxygen being available for the patients. She was responding to a question from Telugu Desam Party MP K Ravindra Kumar.
Andhra Pradesh is one of only two states, so far, to report oxygen supply-related deaths. The other state is Punjab, which said four deaths were "suspected" due to a lack of oxygen.
During the second wave of COVID-19, the shortfall in supply of medical oxygen was one of the more heartbreaking headlines. During that period, various citizens and hospitals sought help on social media and before the courts.
The central government recently sought reports from states and Union territories on deaths in connection with oxygen shortage during the second wave of coronavirus.
According to media reports, only 13 states have responded, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand and Ladakh.
