Two patients, including a 38-year-old mother of two children, died in the wee hours of Tuesday at Arka hospital in Yelahanka, allegedly due to non-availability of oxygen. Hospital authorities said both patients had come in a critical condition and the families had been informed about the oxygen shortage.
Soon after the hospital ran out of oxygen, SOS calls started flooding Twitter tagging the Chief Minister and Health Minister.
Of the nine patients in the ICU of the hospital, five were discharged after the families made alternative arrangements. “Although we got some help from a charitable trust with a few cylinders, it is difficult to manage if we do not get more stock,” said a spokesperson for the hospital.
Confirming the deaths, BBMP Joint Commissioner (Yelahanka) D.R. Ashok told The Hindu that both patients had a saturation of around 50% and their condition further deteriorated. “Their condition was critical and the families had been informed about the oxygen shortage. The hospital has been procuring oxygen from Universal Air Products. The deaths took place around 2 a.m. We learnt there was a delay in the supply of 35 cylinders by when the hospital ran out of stock,” the official said. “The hospital has 45 patients on oxygen and they received 15 cylinders on Tuesday morning. The requirement per day is 30 cylinders and the rest of the supply is coming from Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. We have also flagged the issue with the Drugs Control Department,” he said.
Tuesday saw more hospitals sending out letters to patients’ relatives to shift them out as they are running out of oxygen. Several hospitals, including Aswad Hospital in Roopena Agrahara on Hosur Main Road and Rajmahal Vilas Hospital in Sanjaynagar, wrote to the Drug Control Department and the oxygen war room stating that they can no longer meet the oxygen requirement of 30-odd COVID-19 patients admitted in each of the hospitals.
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