‘Oxygen supply defect’ leads to death 3 patients at Jalandhar Civil Hospital trauma centre
According to hospital officials, the deceased included a 15-year-old girl being treated for a snakebite wound, another was a tuberculosis patient, and third patient was being treated for drug overdose.
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Oil leakage in the supply line caused the fault:Hospital superintendentA technical malfunction which led to the alleged fall in pressure in the oxygen supply system at the Trauma Centre in Jalandhar Civil Hospital late on Sunday resulting in the deaths of three patients on ventilator, officials said. The oxygen supply was not proper for over half an hour.
According to hospital records, the deceased have been identified as follows: Archana, a 15-year-old snake bite patient, who died at 7:15 PM; Avtar Lal, a 32-year-old patient who succumbed to a drug overdose and was admitted on Sunday, died at 7:40 PM; and Raju, a 30-year-old diagnosed with lung disease, who passed away at 7:50 PM. All the three patients died in 35 minutes time.
Dr Vinay Anand, a senior medical officer at the trauma centre, confirming the incident to the media, said, “There was a sudden drop in oxygen pressure due to a fault in the trauma centre’s supply line. All three patients were already in critical condition. Although we cannot conclusively say that the deaths were caused by the drop in oxygen supply, but it is true that they passed away shortly after the pressure fell. A thorough investigation is underway to establish the exact cause.”
Dr RK Baddhan, at the Jalandhar civil hospital, added that there was some oil leakage, which caused the fault in supply of oxygen. He added that the bodies have been sent for post-mortem. He informed that the civil hospital authorities have formed a nine- member committee to investigate the matter in 3-day.
Late last night, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh visited the hospital and assured that a detailed investigation would be conducted. He stated that an independent team of doctors from Chandigarh would be assigned to the hospital and would provide their report within a specified timeframe. Deputy Commissioner Dr. Himanshu Aggarwal, who was present at the civil hospital, informed the media that those responsible for this unfortunate incident would not be spared.
Meanwhile, a family member of 15-year-old Archana, who undergoing treatment for a snakebite wound, blamed the hospital for negligence. “Our daughter was recovering after seven days of treatment. When the oxygen stopped, her condition deteriorated. She died soon after. If the oxygen supply was fine, she would have been alive,” her family said.
Congress MLA Pargat Singh blamed the Punjab government for the three deaths and said that the incident reflects the state’s deteriorating public health system under the AAP.
“I offer my heartfelt condolences to the families. This tragedy is not fate—it’s failure. When life-saving systems fail in hospitals, it exposes a government that prioritises image-building over life-saving,” he said.
Demanding immediate technical audit of all ICU oxygen systems, Pargat added that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann owes answers not just to the Assembly, but to the grieving families.
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