'Minor' oxygen leakage at Vadodara hospital, patients safe: Report

Nearly 600 Covid-19 patients are on oxygen support at the government-run hospital, but the supply was not hindered as the leakage was plugged within 20 minutes, Dr Ranjan Aiyer, the medical superintendent of the facility, told PTI.

A "minor" leakage of medical oxygen took place in the SSG Hospital at Vadodara in Gujarat on Monday morning after a pipe carrying the life-saving gas for Covid-19 patients got punctured, an official said.

Of the total 766 Covid-19 patients undergoing treatment at the hospital, around 600 are on oxygen support, the official said.(Shutterstock. Representative image)

Nearly 600 Covid-19 patients are on oxygen support at the government-run hospital, but the supply was not hindered as the leakage was plugged within 20 minutes, Dr Ranjan Aiyer, the medical superintendent of the facility, told PTI.

The leakage took place in the 'New Surgical Block' premises of the Sir Sayajirao General (SSG) Hospital when the copper pipe, which transports oxygen from the main tank to different wards, got damaged.

"It was a minor leakage as the copper pipe got punctured at one place. A small amount of oxygen leaked. The issue was resolved by our staff within 20 minutes," Dr Aiyer said.

Of the total 766 Covid-19 patients undergoing treatment at the hospital, around 600 are on oxygen support, the official said.

"The leakage had no impact on the oxygen supply to our patients. They didn't even get to know that such a thing had happened," he said.

On April 21, 22 Covid-19 patients suffocated to death when their oxygen supply stopped suddenly because of a malfunction in the main storage at a civic-run hospital in Nashik city of Maharashtra.