In an unfortunate incident, 24 Covid patients lost their lives due to oxygen shortage in a government hospital in Karnataka. The incident took place at Chamrajanagar district hospital. All the deceased people were being treated on ventilators when this mishap occurred at around 11.45 PM on May 02.
A statement by the Chief Minister's office, stated that Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had called an emergency Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Home Minister Basavaraja Bommai, meanwhile, has asked the DGP Praveen Sood to investigate the matter.
Mysuru MP, Pratap Simha, said, "Last night, I contacted Southern Gas and they provided 15 cylinders. Despite all this, this sad incident occurred. Chamarajnagar is not some far away place. We feel it is a part of us. We are part of their sorrow." The district has recorded a total of 11,928 cases of COVID-19 infection since the beginning of the pandemic. At least 167 people have died due to the virus until Sunday.
Second case of oxygen shortage in 24 hours
It should be noted that this is the second case of oxygen shortage deaths that have happened in Karnataka in the last 24 hours. On May 01, four coronavirus patients had died due to oxygen shortage in KBN hospital, Kalburgi.
In the wake of these incidents, the state government led by BS Yediyurappa has convened an emergency meeting to enquire what led to these tragedies. Soon after the tragedy, Yediyurappa contacted the district collector over the phone and has enquired about the developments.
District in-charge minister S Suresh Kumar has already ordered a probe into the incident that claimed the lives of 24 people. The minister also assured that strict actions will be taken against the people who are responsible for the oxygen shortage in the district hospital, Chamrajanagar.
Covid second wave: India facing an oxygen shortage
As the second wave of coronavirus is continuing to wreak havoc in India, several Covid patients are losing their lives due to oxygen shortage in the country. It was on last week that eight people lost their lives due to an oxygen shortage at Batra Hospital in Delhi.
Social media platforms are also loaded with posts where people urge authorities to ensure sufficient oxygen supply in hospitals across the country.
In the meantime, fresh coronavirus cases in Karnataka is increasing drastically over the past couple of weeks. Amid Covid lockdown, Karnataka witnessed 37,733 fresh Covid cases on May 02, while 217 patients succumbed to the pandemic. India recorded 3,68,000 fresh coronavirus-positive cases and 3,417 deaths on May 02.
