K-P hospital deaths

The news of seven patients at Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) dying because the hospital ran out of oxygen is absolutely tragic. The hospital’s excuse — that the supplier failed to deliver it in time from Rawalpindi — is absolutely unforgivable. KTH is not some tiny basic health unit in a backward area. It is one of the largest hospitals in the country. It is unforgivable that any hospital of this size would let oxygen supplies dip to such a low level in the absence of a nationwide shortage.

While blaming the supplier, KTH Director Dr Tahir Nadeem told the media that Covid-19 has increased the hospital’s oxygen requirement. This may have been an excuse in March. Or April. Or May. After all, hospitals around the world were stressed for oxygen supply when the pandemic hit. But almost nine months into the domestic iteration of the pandemic, it is inexcusable that any health facility working at less than maximum capacity would run out of critical medical supplies. Even the fix he told of was inexcusable — oxygen destined for some other hospitals was diverted to KTH. This means that even more people may suffer due to KTH’s mismanagement.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Taimur Jhagra said the hospital’s board of governors had been ordered to investigate the incident and take action against those responsible “within 48 hours”. That may have been all well-and-good if not for the fact that such terrible supply management points at negligence at the board level as well. We will not be surprised if, whenever “all facts of the case will be made public”, this internal inquiry will ‘reveal’ that some lowly procurement staffer is to blame. While Jhagra did say that the provincial government would order an independent inquiry if the hospital’s probe was found lacking, this should always have been the case.

In fact, given that some short-term assistance in addressing the crisis came from the K-P health department, it would be best if provincial authorities also had no part in the inquiry, as their own response time, efficiency, and oversight should also come under the scanner. Investigators from Islamabad, or even Punjab, may be better options.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2020.

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