11 die in Tirupati due to lag in oxygen supply; Andhra govt announces Rs 10 lakh compensation

Eleven COVID-19 patients died due to a problem with oxygen supply inside the ICU in Ruia hospital late on Monday night. The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of these COVID-19 patients, who died at the government-run Ruia Hospital in Tirupati.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy announced this during a videoconference with district Collectors. There was a five-minute lag in reloading liquid medical oxygen, which caused the pressure to drop, resulting in the deaths, Chittoor district Collector M Hari Narayanan had said.

Meanwhile, a team of engineers from the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy visited Ruia Hospital to inspect the oxygen supply system and suggest corrective measures, if any.

All opposition parties came down heavily on the state government, squarely blaming it for causing the death of 11 COVID-19 patients. They called the deaths "government murders" and demanded that the Chief Minister step down if he could not protect people's lives.

Chittoor district collector however said, "The oxygen supply was restored within five minutes and everything is now normal. Because of this we could prevent more casualties."

About 30 doctors were immediately rushed into the ICU to attend to the patients. The collector said there was no scarcity of oxygen in the hospital and adequate supply was in place. In all, about 700 COVID-19 patients were undergoing treatment in the ICU and oxygen beds in Ruia while another 300 were in normal wards.

Meanwhile, the chief minister spoke to the district collector and directed that a detailed investigation be conducted into the incident. Jagan directed the officials to ensure that such incidents did not recur.

With inputs from PTI