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The death of 11 COVID patients in the ICU of Ramnarain Ruia Government General Hospital at Tirupati was declared on Monday night, 10 May, by District Collector M Hari Narayana. The deaths were caused due to a drop in the pressure of oxygen for a mere five minutes as an oxygen tanker was delayed.
Andhra Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Tuesday, announced Rs 10 lakh in financial assistance to the families of the deceased patients, reported The News Minute.
The hospital is the largest in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, where almost 1,000 COVID patients are being treated, out of which almost 700 are on oxygen support. There are 30 doctors that are working to stabilise other patients in the ICU.
Narayana added that though the 11 people who were on oxygen support died, there were several others they were able to save when the oxygen tanker arrived from Tamil Nadu.
As per officials, the oxygen pressure started dropping after 8:30 pm and before the supply could be restored, several patients died within a few minutes.
Reportedly, relatives of deceased patients broke into the COVID ICU and started causing damage in the hospital. Following which nurses and doctors fled the ICU fearing for their safety, returning only after police arrived and took control of the situation.
CM Reddy held a conference with district collectors on Tuesday and directed the Chittoor District Collector to ensure that the families receive the Rs 10 lakh financial aid.
"How much ever hard work we do and try, we are in a situation where we have to take responsibility for some aspects which are not in our hands. A delay in the oxygen coming from Tamil Nadu led to scarcity in the oxygen supply, which led to 11 deaths. These are the difficult times,” he said, as he urged all the collectors to be more vigilant to avoid such incidents, reported The News Minute.
He had held a meeting to review the COVID situation in the state, earlier on Monday.
There have also been reports of dispute between Andhra and Telangana as COVID patients from Andhra were being stopped from heading towards Hyderabad for treatment. Authorities claim the load in hospitals increased due to patients from other places.
The spat occurred at two major check-posts — Kodada (from the Vijayawada end) and Jogulamba Gadwal (from Kurnool and Anantapuramu). Police officials said that only patients with confirmed beds would be allowed into Telangana, PI reported.
Andhra Pradesh had reported 14,986 new cases on Sunday, 9 May, and 84 COVID deaths. The total active cases in the state stand at 1,89,367.
(With inputs from PTI and The News Minute)
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