Four patients who were admitted in the ICU of government’s Sushrut Trauma Centre, allegedly died due to lack of oxygen. The incident came to light around 6.45 am on Tuesday. The deceased have been identified as Javed, 20, Rajkumar, 35, and Rehana, 36. The fourth person is yet to be identified.
All the deceased belonged to different parts of Delhi. Officials said Javed, a resident of Kashmeri Gate area, was admitted to the hospital with head injuries while Rajkumari from Swarup Nagar was admitted following food poisoning. Rehana, who had head injuries, had undergone a surgery.
Initial inquiry revealed that the centralised oxygen supply of the hospital was restricted due to the fault of an operator that led to the death of the four people, said a hospital official. A private company had installed the centralised oxygen plant in the hospital and it also operates the equipment.
Meanwhile, the Delhi health minister A.K. Walia expressed grief over the incident and constituted a three-member inquiry committee.
“The inquiry team will be headed by S.B. Shashank, special secretary health. He would look into the causes of the incident. Dr A.K. Sethi from GTB Hospital and Dr Deepak Tempe, HoD (anesthesia), GB Pant Hospital have been included as members of the inquiry committee. The committee has been directed to submit its report within next three days,” Dr Walia said. The minister would chair a meeting on Wednesday to review the situation in all other hospitals. The police had so far not received any formal complaint from the hospital, said the officer, adding that the hospital inquiry report was being awaited before registering the case.
“Nobody has approached the police with any such complaint. The matter will certainly be investigated, once an FIR is lodged,” said a police official.