In a shocking development, thirteen patients had passed away in a single day in Tamil Nadu due to alleged disruption in oxygen supply. The incident had showered more light on the dearth of oxygen in the hospitals amid the horrendous second wave of the pandemic. These thirteen patients were in critical condition and had been getting treated at the Chengalpattu Government Hospital. 

When the incident, that happened on Tuesday night, came to the revelation, the district authorities and the hospital management had maintained that the patients died due to other comorbidities and health issues. However, post-graduate doctors who were treating them had alleged that they had died due to apathy of the hospital. The patients had died when the oxygen was on its way from SRM Hospital and Karpaga Vinayaga medical college. 

The doctors who had attended the demised patients had said that there were a lot of Corona patients in the 13 deceased. However, the district authorities had said that only one of the deceased patients has tested positive for the COVID-19 pandemic. According to reports, after the demise of 13 people, the post-graduate doctors of the hospital had begun protesting in the morning hours of Wednesday by accusing the hospital administration of apathy and negligence. 

The doctors had said that the hospital could not meet the oxygen demand as almost all oxygen beds in the wards treating COVID-19 and those suspected to have COVID-19 were occupied. The hospital that usually requires 2.3 kiloliters of oxygen per day, was in the need of 4.5 kiloliters on Tuesday and the district administration and the hospital authorities had ignored the heavy need for oxygen to treat the patients. 

Speaking to a news agency, the protesting doctors said that they had warned the hospital management on Tuesday morning that there was a disruption in oxygen supply but the dean and the senior doctors had failed to address the dearth post which the matter had gone out of control and the patients had died when the oxygen was on its way from SRM Hospital and Karpaga Vinayaga medical college. 

The matter was then escalated to Chengalpattu collector John Louis and he was there when oxygen was brought to the hospital and he claimed that all possible efforts were taken and he went on to deny that the deaths were due to a shortage of oxygen. The Collector further said that those who required oxygen at high pressures survived and that the patients who died were already critical with other comorbidities. 

On the other hand, the reports say that the protesting doctors had submitted a memorandum to the hospital dean with the demand to ensure the well-availability of necessary resources and some of them had lamented that the blame for the deaths will fall on them. While Chengalpattu witnessed a shock due to 13 deaths in a day, the Salem district had seen the demise of three COVID-19 patients die in the ambulance while waiting for beds in Salem Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Hospital.