Five COVID-19 patients under treatment at a private hospital in Haryana’s Hisar district died in the early hours of Monday with the hospital authorities attributing the deaths to the shortage of liquid oxygen. The administration denied the allegations and ordered a magisterial probe into the matter.
Five men, aged between 40-60 years, in a critical condition, died at Soni Burn Hospital around 4 a.m. The hospital’s owner, Rajat Soni, told The Hindu that an ambulance from his hospital went to fetch liquid oxygen from the plant in the city, but there was a long queue and the patients died before he could get the supply.
“A hospital staff went to fetch liquid oxygen around 11 p.m. on Sunday, but he could not get the supply till 4 a.m. on Monday. I also arranged a couple of cylinders from other hospitals, but it was not enough,” said Mr. Soni.
He said the situation was similar on Monday and the hospital authorities had already received a message that the supply of oxygen would be 15% less today and they were told to admit patients accordingly.
“We received a message around 5 a.m. saying five patients had died at the hospital. The cause of death is a matter of investigation, but the family members of the deceased blamed the deaths on lack of oxygen supply and negligence,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police (Hisar-1) Rajbir Singh.
Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Soni denied the allegations, saying that the city had surplus liquid oxygen on Sunday.
“We have ordered a magisterial probe into the matter. The matter has also been referred to Medical Negligence Board. The hospital concerned did not call or inform us about any alleged short supply of oxygen,” said Ms. Soni.
