Lucknow: Tall claims of the Yogi Adityanath government on adequate supply of medical oxygen to hospitals in Uttar Pradesh got exposed on Saturday when three serious coronavirus-positive patients gasped to death in the emergency ward of Lohia Hospital in Lucknow due to lack of oxygen supply.
Another 50 covid positive patients, who were admitted in the hospital in ICU and emergency wards in critical conditions and were on oxygen support, had narrow escape after the supply of oxygen was suddenly disrupted.
When angry relatives created ruckus in the hospital, the hospital authorities managed oxygen cylinders from its super-specialty wing to restore the supply and save lives of other covid positive patients who were on ventilators and oxygen support.
Though sources put the figure at four but the hospital director Dr A.K. SIngh confirmed three deaths.
The Hospital Director Dr A.K. Singh has ordered a probe into the death of three coronavirus patients due to disruption in oxygen supply. Dr Singh claimed that the vendor supplying the oxygen did not send cylinders in time resulting in disruption of oxygen supply to patients in emergency and ICU wards.
The hospital director has slapped a notice against the Barabanki vendor for not supplying oxygen to the hospital. “Supply has been restored now. Teams of doctors have been put on high alert after the incident. We have slapped a notice against the vendor seeking explanation on non-supply of oxygen cylinders,” said Dr Singh.
In normal days, Lohia hospital used to consume about 40-45 cylinders per day. But after flooding of the hospital with coronavirus positive cases, the demand has gone up to 150 cylinders per day. There is no oxygen plant in the 350 bed hospital and it has to depend on supply of oxygen cylinders.
The Lohia Hospital buys oxygen cylinders from Sarang Company of Barabanki. The company officials claimed that they could not supply cylinders on Friday as one of their plants developed technical snag and was not operative.
The incident of three deaths due to lack of oxygen in a well-known government hospital in the state capital Lucknow belies tall claims of the Yogi Adityanath government that all hospitals across the state have adequate oxygen supply.
It has also exposed the kind of medical infrastructure created to tackle the coronavirus crisis and healthcare being provided to serious covid positive patients in government hospitals.
The state capital Lucknow is the worst-hit by the second surge of coronavirus. On Friday, 6598 people tested positive while 35 died fighting the deadly virus. Hospitals have put up a houseful board and there is waiting of 10 to 12 hours at cremation grounds. On Friday, aout 40 bodies were burnt in a park near a cremation ground in old Lucknow.
