Two patients at the Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), initially believed to have succumbed due to oxygen shortage, died due to their serious conditions, two inquiries found on Thursday.
An inquiry carried out by four professors of the Rawalpindi Medical College (RMC) revealed that the patients, Muhammad Nadeem, 20, and Nausheen Bibi, 16, died of their illnesses, as there were “plenty” of oxygen cylinders available at the hospital.
The inquiry committee, headed by professor of medicine Dr Muhammad Irfan, visited the intensive care unit of BBH and recorded the statements of officials on duty. The committee also examined the stock of oxygen at the hospital. They were satisfied with the availability of oxygen tanks in all necessary departments.
A separate inquiry carried out by Health Additional Secretary Anwar Janjua also did not find any evidence that pointed to the death of the patients from oxygen deprivation. The report will be submitted to the Punjab chief minister.
However, young doctors asking not to be named refuted the findings of the inquiry reports, insisting that the patients had died due to lack of oxygen in the oxygen tanks. They said the doctors had informed the administration about the shortage but no action was taken.
Rubbishing their allegations, RMC Principal Dr Musaddaq Khan said that oxygen is supplied to patients whenever it is needed.
“Issues related to oxygen supply were faced by hospitals earlier but they have been solved now and there is no more crisis,” he remarked.
He added that he had also sent a letter to Wapda, requesting that a firm in Taxila that supplies liquefied oxygen to all three allied hospitals in Rawalpindi be provided uninterrupted power supply.
Nadeem and Nausheen were admitted to the ICU of BBH on Wednesday with food poisoning and serious infection respectively. Earlier, the doctor on duty had confirmed the unavailability of oxygen in oxygen tanks but BBH Medical Superintendent had denied the allegation, terming it “baseless”.
Published In The Express Tribune, June 15th, 2012.
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