Karnataka: 24 including COVID-19 patients die due to oxygen shortage, District In-Charge orders inquiry

As many as 24 patients, including some Covid-19 positive, died at a hospital in Karnataka allegedly due to the shortage of oxygen.

The deaths of patients at Chamarajanagar District Hospital were due to oxygen shortage and other reasons, informed District In-charge Minister Suresh Kumar. “We are waiting for the death audit report,” he said.

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has also spoken to the district collector over the incident and called an emergency Cabinet meeting tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Kumar said they have sought a death audit report which is expected this afternoon after which they will initiate action against those responsible for the deaths. He further added that most of the patients came to the hospital at the last minute and that they did not get required oxygen supply on time from Mysuru.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the oxygen supplies to the district hospital was diverted to nearby Mysuru. However, it is still not clear who ordered the diverting of the cylinder-supply from Chamarajanagar to Mysuru.

Hospitals across the country, especially the states that have been witnessing an upsurge in the Covid-19 cases, have been sending out desperate messages of help on social media and other platforms, flagging their dwindling stocks of oxygen.

Karnataka’s Covid-19 tally crossed the 16-lakh mark on Sunday following 37,733 fresh infections while 217 more deaths took the toll to 16,011, the health department said. According to a health bulletin, the state’s Covid tally stood at 16,01,865 whereas there are 4,21,436 active cases.

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• COVID-19
• Oxygen cylinders
• coronavirus
• oxygen shortage
• Chamarajanagar District