Three patients die of oxygen shortage at Chamrajnagar COVID hospital, 23 deaths reported in 24hrs
DC rules out reports that all of them died of oxygen shortage
Chamrajnagar: Three patients at the District COVID-19 hospital here have reportedly died due to a shortage of oxygen at the facility on late Sunday night triggering speculations that more people might have also died due to a shortage of oxygen as several deaths have been reported in the hospital lately.
On Sunday night, reports added the hospital ran out of oxygen supply and at least three people died. Reports further added the oxygen that was supposed to be supplied to the hospital from Mysuru was not supplied.
MP Pratap Simha however procured 50 jumbo cylinders of oxygen and has dispatched them to the hospital but the hospital requires at least 150 jumbo oxygen cylinders a day.
Among those dead on Sunday night, was a newly married man Surendra, a resident of Doddahomma village in Nanjanagudu Taluk of Mysuru district whose family has accused that he died due to a shortage of oxygen at the hospital. His family added that Surendra had made a video call to them saying patients in the hospital had died due to a shortage of oxygen and that he was struggling to breathe as well.
The Chamarajanagar COVID hospital has 24 ventilators, 53 ICU, and 55 oxygen beds. Presently, all of them have been occupied by critical patients.
It is learned that the medical facility received the oxygen supply daily from the Southern gas agency in Mysuru. The hospital has a requirement of 280 Jumbo cylinders of oxygen. In the last Friday’s state-wide District Collector’s video conference, the government’s chief secretary had assigned the responsibility of delivering oxygen supply to Chamarajanagar and Coorg districts to agencies in Mysuru.
Reports have further scrutinized the district administration as they suggest at least 23 COVID patients have died in the last 24 hours at the Chamrajnagar COVID hospital alone.
The Deputy Commissioner of the district however ruled out the reports that all of them died due to oxygen shortage. Speaking to the media on Monday morning, Chamrajnagar DC Dr. MR Ravi said “In the 12 hours duration between Sunday morning to midnight, 14 patients have died. Later, in the 7 hours duration since today (Monday) morning, 7 more COVID patients have breathed their last. Among the 23 deceased, 18 of them died after suffering from COVID and other serious illnesses. All of them were in the hospital for the past 2 weeks and being treated on the ventilator. Therefore it is not right to say that all of them died due to shortage of oxygen”.
“On Sunday night, around 10.30 pm, information came in from the District COVID hospital that there is a possibility of imminent oxygen shortage. They had relayed that, there could be oxygen shortage around 2 am in the later hours of the night. I had then immediately contacted the oxygen supplying establishment in Mysuru and made arrangements for the oxygen. Within 12.30 am, we were able to procure some oxygen cylinders. Around 2.30 am, 60 to 70 oxygen cylinders were brought in, and around 6 in the morning, 60 more oxygen cylinders were delivered in from Mysuru. Therefore, we cannot say that 23 COVID patients have all died of oxygen shortage”, the Deputy Commissioner said.
“Mysuru is unable to supply adequate amounts of oxygen. Various issues are arising because of this. This issue has been brought to the attention of the government, and requests have been made asking them to create appropriate measures to tackle this”, the District Commissioner informed.
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AI-based monitoring strengthens PPP dialysis programme in Karnataka: Health Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): The introduction of an AI-enabled monitoring system will significantly enhance patient safety and treatment quality under Karnataka's public-private partnership dialysis programme, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said on Thursday.
Launching the AI-based smart monitoring system at KC General Hospital in Bengaluru, the minister said such technological innovations bring dialysis services delivered under the PPP model on par with private healthcare standards.
"The introduction of an AI-enabled monitoring system will significantly strengthen patient safety and treatment quality under Karnataka's PPP dialysis programme," he said.
The system, introduced by dialysis care provider NephroPlus, enables real-time monitoring of critical treatment parameters such as blood pressure, fluid removal and electrolyte balance during dialysis, aiming to improve patient outcomes through continuous oversight, a statement said.
Currently deployed across seven dialysis centres, the platform tracks 28 key parameters, including patient care, safety, bed availability, staff alertness, emergency preparedness, infection control, hygiene and operational efficiency, NephroPlus said in a statement.
It allows administrators and clinical teams to take data-driven decisions through continuous performance monitoring, it added.
Officials said the technology replaces periodic audits with always-on monitoring, offering a more transparent and robust governance framework.
NephroPlus CEO Rohit Singh said continuous monitoring is critical in dialysis care and the AI-based system ensures consistent quality standards across centres while enabling safer and more reliable treatment for patients.
The launch event also featured a live demonstration of AI-powered dashboards, showcasing real-time tracking of dialysis procedures.
