Two patients die due to 'oxygen shortage' at Yelahanka hospital

The zonal medical officer Dr Yoganand had been asked to conduct a death audit of the two patients

A policeman and a BBMP marshal stand outside Arka Hospital, where two patients reported died due to a shortage of oxygen, in Bengaluru on Tuesday. DH PHOTO/Janardhan B K

A policeman and a BBMP marshal stand outside Arka Hospital, where two patients reported died due to a shortage of oxygen, in Bengaluru on Tuesday. DH PHOTO/Janardhan B K

Two patients at Arka Hospital, Yelahanka, died allegedly due to oxygen shortage on Tuesday, even as SOS messages flooded Twitter in the wee hours seeking the life-saving gas.

DR Ashok, Joint Commissioner, BBMP, Yelahanka, said he had directed the zonal medical officer Dr Yoganand to conduct a death audit of the two patients. Dr Yoganand did not respond to DH’s queries on his preliminary findings.

“We received information (of the twin deaths) on Tuesday morning,” DR Ashok. “I’ve sent the medical officer to audit these cases. Once he inspects the facilities, we’ll know if the deaths took place due to oxygen shortage.” The hospital was not a part of the BBMP’s Central Hospital Bed Management System. They were making oxygen arrangements from Universal Gases. He said while the deaths took place around 2 am, Universal could not supply the 35 cylinders they agreed on time. “The hospital has 45 patients. On Tuesday morning, they have received 15 cylinders. For one day, they require as many as 30 cylinders though. We’re told the rest of the supply is coming from Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh,” he added.

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Universal Air Products Managing Director Subasish Guha Roy and Assistant General Manager K S N Shastri did not respond to calls and messages from DH seeking comment. A letter written by Arka hospital authorities reads: “This is to certify that Arka hospital has 45 in patients suffering from Covid pneumonia and we are short of oxygen supply. Kindly arrange for oxygen as soon as possible.”

Dr Praveen Ramachandra of Arka Hospital did not respond to DH’s repeated calls. “I don’t have two minutes to talk,’ he said while receiving one of the calls from this newspaper.

Anil, the younger brother of one of the deceased Pushpalatha 38, told reporters at the hospital that the patient was admitted at Arka since another hospital had failed to give her the allotted bed. Pushpalatha, mother of two girls, died at 12.30 pm due to lack of oxygen, though oxygen cylinders arrived later. “She was fine till yesterday,” Anil said. “If she had been given the bed allotted through the BBMP, she’d have lived.”

A team of volunteers working at the behest of Bollywood actor Sonu Sood supplied 11 cylinders to the hospital. Hashmath Raza, one of the volunteers, told reporters at the hospital, “We got a call from the circle inspector and we came with 11 oxygen cylinders. We are awaiting another 15 cylinders.”

The actor later tweeted congratulating his team for saving 20 lives at the hospital and spoke to P S Sathyanarayana, the inspector of the Yelahanka Old Town police station, over a video call, and said he would have lunch with the inspector when he comes to the city next.