Relatives of the patients have alleged lapses on the part of the hospital staff.
At least 10 Covid patients have reportedly died due to low pressure in Liquid Oxygen tank at government medical college in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district. The district administration and the hospital has however dismissed the news as factually incorrect.
"Only six deaths were reported last night in ICU. Lack of oxygen is not the cause.There are a total of 62 critical patients in the ICU itself. Overall there were 255 patients in the Covid hospital last night. Out of them about 155 are on oxygen," Dr. Milind Shiralkar, the dean of the medical college hospital, told NDTV.
District collector Satyendra Singh said that "no deaths" took place due to lack of oxygen or low pressure in the oxygen tank.
"A back up with jumbo cylinder always available in medical college, medical college continued supply with jumbo cylinders," he said.
Relatives of the patients, however, alleged lapses on the part of the hospital staff.
"Oxygen level was above 91 per cent. By morning, they said oxygen level was low. They did not allow us to enter but somehow we entered and saw that that bodies were cold. There was not one, but many. This is complete failure of the hospital administration," said a relative of the patient.
"We left at 12 am after giving food. At 6 am we were informed that he is dead. Guard at the hospital told us that oxygen cylinder had finished," said the other.
Senior Congress leader Vivek Tankha, in a tweet, questioned the discrepancy in media reports and official confirmation.
"Today as per media reports 16 patients lost their life in Shahdol MP a divisional hq because of lack of oxygen supply. So scary and heart wrenching. Some say 6 others 16. Figures are irrelevant. Every life lost is important. RIL has it big operations in Shahdol. Why their help was not sought !! We can't our ppl die like this," he tweeted.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan yesterday said that the state has adequate supply of oxygen cylinders. "We have got 350 metric tonnes of oxygen, whereas consumption has been 335 metric tonnes. We are also making local arrangements - 1,293 oxygen concentrators have been installed in all the districts. Approval by the central government for supply of 445 MT oxygen till April 20, 565 MT till April 25 and 700 MT on April 30 has been obtained. This amount of oxygen would be sufficient for estimated patients till April end," Mr Chouhan said.
As per the union health ministry, there are currently 59,183 active cases in Madhya Pradesh. So far, 3,20,955 recoveries and 4,425 deaths have been reported in the state.