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Andhra Pradesh: 11 COVID-19 patients die in Tirupati Ruia Hospital after oxygen supply disruption

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has condoled the deaths and ordered a probe into the incident.
 

Andhra Pradesh: 11 COVID-19 patients die in Tirupati Ruia Hospital after oxygen supply disruption-dnm
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Tirupati, First Published May 11, 2021, 12:00 PM IST

Tirupati: Eleven Covid patients who were in the ICU died at a government hospital in Andhra Pradesh's Tirupati on Monday evening after the supply of medical oxygen was disrupted.

At least 13 patients who are being treated in the ICU ward currently are said to be critical.

Government claimed that the supply was affected for just a few minutes during which time the tragedy took place. Relatives of some of the patients, however, claimed that supply was disrupted for at least 25 minutes.

Chittoor District Collector M Hari Narayanan said "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.

The deaths have been reported at a time when India is fighting a deadly second Covid wave and shortage of medical oxygen has emerged as a key challenge.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock at the death of the 11 patients and asked for a report from officials. He also ordered all collectors to keep an eye on oxygen supply in all hospitals in their districts and ensure that such tragedies don’t take place.

The Chief Minister sought a detailed report on the incident. Earlier, officials of the CMO briefed Jagan on the incident.

This is the third such incident that has come to light from Andhra Pradesh. Earlier this month, there have been 16 deaths at two different hospitals due to oxygen shortage. Eleven patients died at Anantapur Sarvajana Government hospital due to ‘temporary breakdown in oxygen supply’, while in Kurnool, 5 people lost their lives at a private hospital. Officials had attributed the deaths to Covid-19 related complications and not negligence on part of the hospital staff.

NOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitize, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCorona 

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