Shortage of oxygen is said to have claimed the lives of 5 Covid patients at the Nutema Hospital on Sunday night. The District administration has formed a committee that would probe the charges.

The authorities at Nutema claimed that SOS messages were sent to the health and administrative officials regarding the shortage of oxygen yet they failed to get the supply due to which they had no other option but to lower the oxygen pressure that claimed five lives.

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The inconsolable family members and attendants of the deceased patients expressed their anger by damaging the furniture and medical equipment in the hospital. The family members charged hospital staff with negligence that claimed the lives of their dear ones. The situation, however, was controlled by the intervention of the police.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Akhilesh Mohan said that the deceased Covid patients were in a serious condition. He said that the family members of the deceased have charged that there was a disruption in the supply of oxygen for some time but it is a matter of investigation which would be carried out soon.

The CMO admitted that the situation of oxygen is very tight and his office gets many SOS calls. Possibly, his office might have received an SOS call from the concerned hospital and forwarded it to the district administration.

Meanwhile, district magistrate K Balaji has ordered a probe to be conducted by a two-member committee. “On the basis of the report of the probe committee due action would be taken,” said the DM.

Dr Manisha Tyagi, secretary of IMA Meerut claimed that SOS messages were sent by Nutema Hospital regarding the shortage of oxygen. She said that this is for the third time that family members had gone on a rampage in hospitals due to a patient’s death because of oxygen shortage and denial of admission to the patient in the hospital.

Dr Amit Upadhya, director of Nutema Hospital, admitted that the hospital is facing a shortage of oxygen. The hospital promptly sends SOS messages whenever the oxygen shortage is faced.

Presently, more than 50 Covid patients are getting treatment at Nutema Hospital out of a total of 78 patients, informed Dr Upadhyay adding that there is hence a requirement of oxygen. His hospital gets a supply of 200 oxygen cylinders.

Nevertheless, the demand for oxygen depends upon the condition of patients and more serious patients need a high flow of oxygen. In case a shortage of oxygen occurs, the doctors are left with none other option but to lower the oxygen pressure.

It may be noted that this is not the first time when hospitals have been targeted for the death of Covid patients due to a shortage of oxygen. In the past month, there have been two instances when patients had reportedly died due to oxygen shortage contradicting the claims of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of no shortage of oxygen in the state.

During this second wave of Covid, there have been instances when patients were shifted from some private hospitals due to a shortage of oxygen.