Covid-19 crisis:Two die due to alleged oxygen shortage at Arka hospital; BBMP JC orders audit

BBMP Joint Commissioner Dr DR Ashok said he has instructed the medical officer of the zone to conduct a death audit of the patients

Two patients died of alleged oxygen shortage at Arka hospital, Yelahanka, soon after SOS calls started flooding Twitter in the wee hours of Tuesday.

BBMP Joint Commissioner Dr DR Ashok, of Yelahanka, said he had instructed the medical officer of the zone, Dr Yoganand. to conduct a death audit of these two patients.

"We received this information (of deaths) on Tuesday morning. I've sent the medical officer to audit these cases. Once he visits and inspects the facilities there, we'll know if it was due to oxygen shortage. The hospital was not a part of BBMP's CHBMS (Central Hospital Bed Management System). They were making oxygen arrangements from Universal Gases. These deaths have taken place around 2 am. We've learnt that Universal could not supply the 35 cylinders they were supposed to in time. The hospital has 45 patients and they have received 15 cylinders this morning. For one day, they require as many as 30 cylinders. We're told the rest of the supply is coming from Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh," Ashok said.

The hospital authorities did not respond to calls from DH. Universal Air Products' Managing Director Subasish Guha Roy and KSN Shastri, Assistant General Manager, Universal Air Products did not respond to calls and messages from DH.