The death of patients dying due to oxygen shortage have crossed the mark of 40 in three days

Bengaluru: The death of eight more Covid patients caused the death toll due to shortage of oxygen and ventilator at several hospitals in Karnataka to cross 40 in the past 24 hours.

On Tuesday, five deaths were reported from Hubballi Hospital but the authorities denied that it was due to oxygen shortage. The relatives alleged that the patients passed away around 4:30 pm after a disruption in the supply of oxygen. The district administration then formed a committee to investigate the cause of death.

District health officer Dr Yeshwant Madinkar said that the hospital was treating 21 Covid patients and it had 30 jumbo oxygen cylinders. He stated that scarcity of oxygen was not a possible reason because the hospital has an oxygen container of 2 KL capacity and produces 85,000 litres of oxygen utilising natural air. He said, “Its system sends out an alert if oxygen scarcity arises.”

On Wednesday, a 26-year-old youth died at Chamarajanagar hospital after he was denied an oxygenated bed. This happened just two days after 24 Covid patients died there. His family protested and damaged the windowpanes of the hospital.

A 58-year-old suspect died in Belagavi as his family went to search for a ventilator bed in the whole town. He was taken to the Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences where he passed away. Sammadh, son of the deceased said that they had gone to five private facilities, but could not get a ventilator for his father. In Madikeri, a patient collapsed on the floor when he was being shifted to the ambulance.

Even after the government claims that there is no oxygen shortage, some districts are facing the shortage due to an increase in the number of active cases. A state health officer said that they have sufficient oxygen but they have to search for cylinders to ship them. According to the reports, several private hospitals in districts have refused to take in patients as there is oxygen crisis. Those in home isolation are in the worst condition as they are unable to find cylinders.