Hyderabad: Three patients of Covid-19 isolation ward died in a span of five to six hours on Monday in Osmania General Hospital due to shortage of oxygen. According to sources, all oxygen ports had an extremely poor flow of oxygen while some stopped functioning completely.
As the patients slipped into hypoxia (extreme shortage of oxygen) RMO and the Superintendent were informed. But the supply could be resorted only after 3 pm, till then three patients died.
The OP building of Osmania General Hospital has a 100-bed isolation ward for patients who suffer breathlessness but are not Covid positive. 70 to 80 oxygen ports supply oxygen to these 100 beds.
According to the New Indian Express, a doctor on condition of anonymity said that they attempted to switch an extremely hypoxic patient to another port as she has no co-morbidities. However, after switching through multiple ports and oxygen masks, they found there was no oxygen flow in any of them. The doctor added that the 30-year-old woman died even as several attempts to call the oxygen bank was failed but the supply could not be restored.
According to top officials, oxygen fluctuations have been occurring in the hospital every now and then. They said that the existing system is not able to provide without fluctuations even though all patients who are admitted to the ward need high flow oxygen.
A top official told that daily one to two deaths are occurring due to non-availability of oxygen. He said, by the time we shift them to other port it is too late. He added that they are working on expanding the pipeline to the Covid-19 isolation ward in order to ensure that high flow oxygen is supplied to all.