Five die at Hubli hospital, kin allege oxygen shortage

As many as five Covid patients and under intensive care at Shri Bhanji D Khimji Lifeline Hospital died on Tuesday allegedly due to shortage of oxygen. The patients reportedly died within a span of one and a half hours, starting at 3 pm.

Hubli (Karnataka): After the tragedy of the Chamarajanagar oxygen case, as many as five patients suffering from Covid-19 and under intensive care at Shri Bhanji D Khimji Lifeline Hospital lost their lives on Tuesday. The families of the deceased have claimed shortage of oxygen as the cause of their death.

The deceased have been identified as Shreyas Dhrunavat (32) of Srinagar, Balachandra Dandagi (62) of Gokula Road Sanman Colony, Vinaya Naik (47) of Sirsi Aminahali, Vani Venkatesh Jain (52) of Keshwapura and Desaigoudra Shankargoudra Patil of Amaragola.

The patients reportedly died within a span of one and a half hours, starting at 3 pm.

However, the district health officer Dr Yashwant Madinkar, who visited the hospital, dismissed the allegation that the deaths occurred due to a shortage of oxygen and said a committee of experts would investigate the matter.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Ramarajan said a clear picture would emerge only after a medical inquiry.

Both the officials visited the hospital following the deaths.

The hospital has been provided with police security as a precautionary measure.

Earlier on Monday, over 24 patients, including several COVID-19 patients, died at a government hospital in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar district allegedly due to shortage of oxygen.

With inputs from agency