Bihar: JLNMCH warns oxygen supplier

BHAGALPUR: The firm supplying oxygen in the ICU at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JLNMCH) has been warned for low pressure in the supply line for a short period on Saturday afternoon.
JLNMCH superintendent Dr Ashok Bhagat on Sunday sought explanation from the company officials and asked them to submit the maintenance report on oxygen supply system.
There was a rumour that three patients died due to low oxygen supply to the ICU. But Dr Bhagat clarified that the three had been coronavirus patients and died between 1.00 and 4.30pm while the oxygen pressure was low in the supply pipeline after 5.00pm.
Dr Bhagat said the oxygen is supplied to the JLNMCH through a pipeline by an agency. “We have ordered the agency to make periodic checks of the oxygen supply system and pipelines and submit weekly or fortnightly reports. As the oxygen supply for patients admitted at the hospital is vital for their lives, we cannot afford its disruption even for a minute. We are weighing other options, including cryogenic system, for maintaining uninterrupted oxygen supply to the ICU and other wards as a precautionary measure,” he said.