20 die as O2 pressure dips in Rohini hospital

For over 1.5 hours, officials said patients were completely dependent on the backup oxygen cylinders.

Twenty Covid patients, mostly admitted to the critical care unit of Jaipur Golden hospital in Rohini, died on Friday allegedly due to low oxygen pressure as the hospital struggled with depleting oxygen stock, officials said. Despite this, officials said the hospital received the requisite supply of oxygen only on Saturday, after it raised the alarm twice.

Along with representatives from Maharaja Agrasen, Batra, and Saroj hospitals, Dr Baluja approached the Delhi high court on Saturday to secure supply of oxygen.

“We lost 20 patients almost all of whom were in the critical care unit and on a high flow of oxygen. Our liquid medical oxygen stock was over by about 10pm (on Friday) and then we switched over to the oxygen cylinders attached to the main gas pipeline. There was a drop in pressure and the patients could not survive,” said Dr Deep Baluja, medical director of the hospital.

For over 1.5 hours, officials said patients were completely dependent on the backup oxygen cylinders.

According to officials, Jaipur Golden hospital was supposed to receive its quota of oxygen at 5.30pm on Friday but got an emergency supply at around midnight after raising alarm. While it received an additional 1,500 cubic metres of oxygen -- 40% of its quota allocated by the government -- later, officials said it was facing a crisis again by morning.

Along with representatives from Maharaja Agrasen, Batra, and Saroj hospitals, Dr Baluja approached the Delhi high court on Saturday to secure supply of oxygen.

With oxygen levels depleting, officials said the hospital somehow managed to hold on till 1.30pm on Saturday when they received another 1,000 cubic metres of oxygen. By 7.15 pm Saturday, the hospital again had to tweet an SOS, “Next impending oxygen crises in Jaipur Golden Hospital. Over 200 lives at stake if liquid medical oxygen is not supplied by 9:00 pm tonight.” The hospital said it received another 1,000 cubic metres of oxygen around 9 pm, which it said will last till at least 5 pm on Sunday.

The appeal comes a day after Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal flagged the severe oxygen crisis faced by the national capital and “catastrophic” events that may follow if the demand for liquid medical oxygen is not met. Kejriwal said some state governments are stopping tankers meant for Delhi to meet their requirement.

“Will people of Delhi not get oxygen if there is no oxygen-producing plant here? Please suggest whom should I speak to in Central government when an oxygen tanker destined for Delhi is stopped in another state?” Kejriwal said during the Covid-review conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.

A police officer, who did not want to be identified, said that around 11 pm on Friday, police had received information regarding the deaths of 20 Covid patients due to oxygen shortage at Jaipur Golden Hospital. The police contacted the district administration that was also unaware of the deaths.

“Both the agencies contacted the hospital management but it denied that any deaths had taken place because of (lack of) oxygen. However, they flagged the oxygen crisis in the hospital by saying that they only had half an hour stock,” the officer said.

“It’s to be probed if the 20 patients died before the oxygen supply was made or after it. As of now, we have not received any complaint from any concerned agency or from the family of any dead patients,” the officer added.

Security beefed up

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police’s intelligence unit (special branch) alerted the Rohini district police about a potential law and order problem and suggested deployment of adequate security personnel at the hospital. Within minutes, nearly 50 police personnel, led by an assistant commissioner of police (ACP) and inspectors, reached the hospital premises and joined the private security guards to ensure law and order was not disrupted.

The police are on high alert to ensure no violence breaks out after several hospitals reported that lives of patients are at stake because of inadequate oxygen supply.

A senior police officer said, “Since the hospital management (Jaipur Golden Hospital) declared that 20 patients died on Friday night due to low oxygen pressure which resulted from the hospital running out of its oxygen supply, we anticipated a backlash from the family and relatives of the deceased. Also, after the hospital issued an SOS about the lives of 200 other patients, we reviewed the situation and accordingly deployed police personnel.