Four die gasping for oxygen at private hospital in Rewari

At least four Covid-19 patients admitted in a private hospital in Rewari died, allegedly due to lack of oxygen, on Sunday. Agitated family members of the deceased protested against the hospital authorities by blocking the road outside and hurling abuses at the district administration and state government for not being able to provide adequate oxygen supply to the hospital.

It was only after oxygen supply was replenished in the hospital and police reached the spot did they lift the blockade.

Out of the four patients, three were admitted to the hospital’s ICU ward, while one was on oxygen support.

There were more than 50 patients admitted in the hospital Sunday. It was around 3 pm that the hospital authorities raised an alarm about the oxygen supply getting over. Later, they declared that four patients had died.

Several attempts were made by The Indian Express to reach out to the hospital, but they did not respond.

Additional Chief Secretary of Medical Education and Research Department, Alok Nigam said, “Beds are set to be increased in various hospitals of the state soon. Under this, work is being done to add 1,000 oxygen beds in PGI Rohtak and 1,250 oxygen-rich beds in other medical college hospitals. Two hundred beds are also being added to the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hospital, Faridabad so that patients do not face any kind of problem”.

Additional Chief Secretary of Health Department, Rajiv Arora, said, “About 46,000 patients in the state are in home isolation and they are being regularly monitored. Corona Haryana GMDA portal is being kept updated so that the general public can get complete information regarding the availability of beds in hospitals”.

Earlier, Haryana Chief Secretary Vijai Vardhan too issued instructions to all the Deputy Commissioners to ensure RT-PCR testing reports are made available to the patients, on time. He also asked officers to frequently monitor the availability of ICU and oxygen beds in government and non-government hospitals of their districts so that patients do not face any hardship.

Vardhan was presiding over the meeting of the state-level Crisis Coordination Committee on Sunday. The Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of all the districts also participated in the meeting through video conferencing.

“In this hour of corona crisis the officers should work with complete co-ordination and create containment zones with immediate effect in the areas where corona cases are increasing rapidly. Incident Commanders should be appointed in these areas and directed to increase the medical facilities for the patients who are home isolated. I have also suggested that the MPs, MLAs, chairmen and members of the market committees should take a decision to form Containment Zones and take other necessary steps for Covid precaution in their areas,” Vardhan said.

Dushyant writes to Union Minister

Meanwhile, Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala, wrote to Union Minister Piyush Goyal and requested him to include Remdesivir, oxygen and other items used to treat Covid-19 patients in the Essential Commodities list.

“I would like to inform you the due to the ongoing second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the availability of Oxygen, Oxygen cylinders, Remdesivir, Tocilizumab, Injectable anticoagulants like enoxaparin have become scarce in the open market and are non-available to the common man at reasonable prices, causing threat to the health and life of public at large. In view of prevailing circumstances, the demand of above items and other lifesaving drugs is very high and these items are short in supply in open market. It has been observed that some unscrupulous persons may be involved in hoarding and black marketing of above mentioned items. These inhumane activities have created panic in public at large. I would request you yo get the Oxygen, Oxygen cylinders, Remdesivir, Injectable anticoagulants like enoxaparin included in the list of essential commodities for at least up to six months under Essential Commodities Act, so that the monitoring of production, availability and distribution of these above lifesaving items at reasonable prices can be ensured to public at large,” Dushyant wrote.

He also chaired a meeting of Haryana’s concerned departments and instructed officers to carry out a comprehensive checking campaign, and ensure that no shopkeepers hoard nor selling the above mentioned items for more than the set price.

“In case of violation, strict action should be taken under the Legal Metrology Act/Indian Penal Code/Drugs & Cosmetic Act. Police assistance should also be sought if required,” Dushyant said.