New Delhi: For the first time, the Union health ministry has admitted that ‘some’ patients who were on ventilator support while undergoing treatment for COVID-19 had died due to inadequate oxygen supply. The Union government has maintained that no state, except Andhra Pradesh, had specifically informed it of COVID-19 deaths due to lack of oxygen supply.
The above information was furnished by Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union minister of state for health, in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, August 10, and the news of which was first appeared on The Hindu.
In response to a question by Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar on deaths due to inadequate oxygen supply in Andhra Pradesh, Pawar noted that Andhra Pradesh alone had reported that some patients had died after a drop in oxygen pressure at a hospital, as per the preliminary inquiry.
Pawar informed the house that as per Andhra Pradesh’s communication dated August 9, some patients who were on ventilator support had died while being treated for COVID-19 at Sri Venkateswara Ramnarayan Ruia (SVRR) hospital in the state on May 10.
“As per the preliminary inquiry incident report, it appears that the interval between the levelling out of 10KL oxygen tank and the switching on of the backup manifold system of this hospital resulted in the drop in pressure in the oxygen lines. This led to insufficient oxygen being available for the patients mainly on ventilator support,’’ The Hindu quoted Pawar as saying.
Meanwhile, senior health ministry officials have maintained that the Centre had categorically told states to report any COVID-19 death and the reasons for the death.
“This isn’t data that we take lightly. Data gathered is the guide for the Ministry [State and Central] to ensure that we are able to bridge any gaps and catch any trends early on. Several and immediate measures were brought in to ensure adequate oxygen and other medical supplies to the states during the COVID-19 waves,” The Hindu quoted a senior official from the ministry as saying.
On the other hand, the health ministry noted that the daily liquid medical oxygen (LMO) supply, which was about 1,292 MTs a day in February 2021, was increased to 8,593 MTs in April 2021. A total of 10,250 MTs of LMO was allocated to states on May 28. This was done by enhancing LMO production in steel plants and other LMO plants, the ministry added.
“Restrictions were imposed on industrial use of oxygen. A dynamic and transparent framework for allocation of medical oxygen in consultation with all the stakeholders has been prepared,” it stated.