Probe blames Hisar's private hospital for 5 deaths due to oxygen crunch

Tribune News Service

Hisar, June 8

The magisterial inquiry conducted into the death of five Covid patients at a private hospital in Hisar has stated that negligence on part of the hospital authorities had caused the fatalities due to the shortage of oxygen.

Five patients had died when the oxygen supply exhausted for the patients who were on ventilator at the Soni Burns hospital in the town on April 26.

The district administration had instituted a magisterial inquiry into the deaths after the family members of the patients had complained in this regard. The administration had also asked the District Medical Board for Negligence to conduct an inquiry into the incident.

Sources said the magisterial inquiry stated that the hospital authorities had failed to ensure adequate availability of oxygen even though the patients were on ventilator and BiPAP in a critical condition. The inquiry report said the hospital ran out of oxygen at night and failed to arrange oxygen cylinders.

Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Soni said the magisterial inquiry had been completed and the report had been submitted to the Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) for further action.

The HHRC had also taken cognisance of the incident and directed the DG, Haryana Health Services, DCs and SPs from Hisar and Gurugram to submit a report to the commission within two weeks mentioning the details about the cause of the deaths of the patients. The commission had written to the state authorities in the letter on April 27: “If the patients are dying due to shortage of oxygen … it’s a serious violation of human rights of the general public and the commission cannot shut its eyes over the matter as a silent spectator.”

The hospital authorities, however, had maintained that they had alerted the district health officials about 40 minutes before they ran out of the oxygen supply.

The district administration later removed the Soni Burns hospital from the panel of Covid hospitals.