Chamarajanagar tragedy due to lack of oxygen: Karnataka HC-appointed panel

The panel's report stated that it was the responsibility of the district administration and the hospital authorities to look after the oxygen supply

The three-member committee appointed by the Karnataka High Court to probe the Chamarajanagar hospital tragedy stated in its report that all the 24 deaths on the intervening night of May 2-3 occurred due to lack of oxygen. The report stated that between 11 pm on May 2 and early hours on May 3, there was absolutely no oxygen at the district hospital, attached to Chamarajanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS).

The committee, headed by retired high court judge Justice A N Venugopala Gowda and comprising another retired judge of the high court K N Keshavanarayana and retired IPS officer S T Ramesh, has recommended that the families of the deceased be granted suitable compensation since deaths occurred due to gross negligence of the authorities.

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The report analysed the Death Audit, held by a committee consisting of district surgeon and four others, on the 24 persons who died on May 2 and 3. In this Death Audit Report, the hospital committee has concluded that only three persons died on account of lack of oxygen, while seven died on account of Hypoxic Brain Injury and 14 due to Covid–19.

“However, the fact remains that all those persons were in-patients in the hospital and they were in need of oxygen during the crucial time when there was no oxygen stock available in the hospital. The entry in the case sheets ‘FiO2’ indicates that there was deprivation of oxygen to them also during that period which resulted in damage to the brain cells of a large number of them and for others damage to their vital organs which might have led to their deaths subsequently,” the report said.

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The report stated that it was the responsibility of the district administration and the hospital authorities. The authorities had to arrange for the refilling of the cylinders from plants at Mysuru and transported them back to the hospital. “Had the hospital administration been vigilant, it could have had enough stock of oxygen by timely refilling of cylinders since it has more than one supplier,” the report said.

“With the bottling plant at a distance of about 70 km, not having sufficient storage of filled oxygen cylinders at Chamarajanagar is an act of callousness and has led to loss of dozens of precious lives,” the report said.

The three-member committee has perused trunks of documents relating to the supply of oxygen and stated that a meeting was held by Chamarajanagar DC Dr M R Ravi on May 2.

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However, there is “not even a whisper about the shortage of oxygen stock at the hospital by any of the agencies at Mysuru with whom MoUs have been entered into”.

Clean chit to Mysuru DC

The three-member committee came down heavily on the Chamarajanagar DC for not exhibiting dynamism and leadership qualities. The report stated that there was no reference to any alleged hindrance caused by Mysuru DC Rohini Sindhuri. “No material is forthcoming from the records in support of the allegation.

Accordingly, it is evident that the Mysuru DC has not come in the way of refilling agencies at Mysuru from refilling the oxygen cylinders of any other districts including Chamarajanagar,” the report said.