Eleven corona virus patients died because of disruption of oxygen in a government hospital in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh on Monday (May 10) night.
According to reports, these patients were undergoing treatment and were in the Intensive Care Unit of Ruia Hospital.
While the attendants of the patients alleged that the supply of oxygen was disrupted for about 45 minutes the district authorities claim that it was stopped only for five minutes. The district magistrate said that the tanker bringing oxygen from Chennai was delayed due to some reason. He said that a team of 30 doctors was rushed to the hospital but unfortunately, 11 lives were lost.
The hospital has 1,000 beds, out of which 700 have oxygen facility. Chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has ordered an inquiry into this tragedy.
This is not the first case of disruption of supply of oxygen leading to death in India. Many patients have lost their lives in similar tragedies in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh etc.
The incident occurred at a time when the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments are locked in a dispute over the entry of patients into Hyderabad. It all started after the Telangana government stopped the entry of people from Andhra Pradesh into the state.
However, the Andhra Pradesh government is of the view that since Hyderabad is the common capital of both the states till 2024, many people who are going there are patients seeking better treatment.
In the meantime, the Telangana government on Tuesday announced a ten-day lockdown from Wednesday. There will be four-hour relaxation everyday between 6 AM and 10 AM. Ironically, the step has been taken when the number of corona virus cases are coming down in the state. Earlier, the state government had ruled out any lockdown in Telangana. The lockdown has, according to sources, been imposed to prevent the flow of patients from other states into Hyderabad.
