Ruptured: JPMC's oxygen supply suspended for five hours

The main line was damaged due to construction work on the premises of the hospital

KARACHI: Oxygen supply at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre was suspended for around five hours on Sunday as the main line ruptured due to construction work in the hospital premises.

Construction machinery accidentally cracked the line in the morning, suspending the supply of oxygen to the operation theatres, ICUs and other wards of the hospital and creating panic for the patients and the hospital management.

However, according to the management, the hospital's back-up plan saved the lives of several patients. JPMC executive director Prof Anisuddin Bhatti explained that 24 oxygen cylinders were supplied to the wards and operation theatres.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Prof Bhatti confirmed that four feet of the supply line had been damaged by the construction machinery. "It was a disturbing incident but we were able to manage it immediately," he claimed, adding that not a single patient suffered due to the suspension of the oxygen. "Everything is under control and the supply was completely restored within a few hours."

Hospital sources, on the other hand, said that the breakdown of the supply created panic among the patients and the staff, who were barely able to handle the situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2015.