SRINAGAR: As the newly installed Oxygen facility at key Jawaharlal Lal Nehru Memorial (JLNM) hospital froze for five minutes, it was a near-death experience for more than 100 COVID19 patients on the oxygen therapy. It triggered panic and a literal mass-outpouring,, people who were in the hospital said.
The incident according to one of the hospital administrators, Dr Bilquis Shah, took place at 11:20 am on May 10. “There was fear that we would lose them had the supply stopped for some more time,” The Wire quoted her saying. “Patients who are on the oxygen support have less time if oxygen supply is interrupted, thankfully we were able to stabilise all the patients.”
The number of patients on Oxygen therapy in the hospital stood at around 130, according to hospital sources.
New 625 lpm Oxygen plant made operational at JLNM Hospital Rainawari in Srinagar. pic.twitter.com/HCfp4XJf4I
— Aijaz Asad (@AsadamAijaz) May 9, 2021
Attendants, however, said the fault was longish. “My father is on a high-flow oxygen supply. Suddenly, the monitor was showing an oxygen saturation level of less than 50 and was continuously dipping,” The Hindu quoted one of the attendants saying, who is taking care of his father. “The snag in the oxygen plant was detected at around 11 am and set off a furore with attendants banging on the doors of the hospital administrators, according to eyewitnesses.”
Apparently a recently set up plant, still lacked a connection with the auto generator in case of a power failure. The issue has been taken up with the top officers, reports suggest. While the plant has been connected to the auto-generator mode, additional staff has been deployed to man the facility, officials said. JLNM is a key counter-Covid19 facility in Srinagar.
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