Tirupati: At least 11 Covid-19 patients died due to lack of oxygen supply inside the ICU at the Government SVR Ruia Hospital in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh on Monday. Chittoor District Magistrate M Hari Narayanan gave this information. He said that it took five minutes to reload the oxygen cylinder, which caused oxygen pressure to fall and patients died. However, the family members of the patients have alleged that the oxygen supply was down for 20-25 minutes. Visuals of this incident have come to light, in which medical staff are seen battling with patients.
Hari Narayanan said, ‘The supply of oxygen was restored within five minutes and everything is back to normal now. Because of this, we could prevent the death of more patients. About 30 doctors were immediately sent to the ICU to supervise the patients.
He said that the obstacle in oxygen supply was caused by the delay in the tankers coming from Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. This hospital has a capacity of 1,100 beds, ICU has more than 100 patients and oxygen beds have 400 patients.
The District Magistrate said that there is no shortage of oxygen in the hospital and adequate supplies are being made. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed grief over the incident. He spoke to the District Collector and directed that a detailed investigation into the incident should be done. Jagan directed the officials to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.
