Oxygen supply cut-off: 75-year-old patient dies after kin, doctors enter into brawl

Gwalior: Chaos erupted at Jaya Arogya Hospital after the relatives ransacked the building, blaming the doctors for the death of a 75-year-old patient after his oxygen pipe was allegedly removed on Friday.

The cause of death is believed to be the result of an incident where the oxygen tube was allegedly yanked off during a heated argument between the patient’s family and doctors.

According to the hospital administration, the patient, who suffered from chest pain and breathing difficulty, was admitted to the cardiology department of JAH a few days ago. However, on Friday, the patient's health condition began to deteriorate, following which the doctors and nurses gave immediate medical attention to the patient. On the other hand, the patient's relatives, who arrived at the hospital on Friday evening to get an update of their kin, became enraged after witnessing the patient's condition. 

Also read- Odisha: Mob Ransacks Rourkela Hospital After Death Of Accident Victim

Following this, they forcibly removed the oxygen pipe connected to the patient’s trachea and callously discarded it, alleged the hospital administration. As a result, the patient died, after which the attendants created a ruckus, accused the doctors of negligence and started ransacking and assaulting the staff and junior doctors. 

At the same time, the security personnel present in the hospital tried to pacify the relatives who were creating a ruckus, but no one was ready to listen to them. Later, when the police came, the matter was calmed down. 

According to the relatives, they alleged that the doctors had removed the ventilator of their patient in anger, due to which his condition worsened and he died in no time. In addition, the patient's son alleged that the oxygen pipe was pulled by the doctors. He said they were shocked to see doctors removing the patient’s ventilator. When they objected to the same, a heated argument ensued, TOI reports.

When the kin reacted with anger, some doctors assaulted them and held them confined in a room, he alleged.

On the other hand, Dr Prateek Bagde, who was on duty during the uproar, lodged a report at Kampu police station. Denying the accusations, the doctor said that the patient's condition was already critical, about which the family was informed, however, the information angered them and they removed the oxygen pipe, which caused the patient to die.  

The report also alleges that the patient’s relatives damaged medical equipment, including ECG and BP machines, stethoscopes, and government documents.

The police have registered a case against the unknown relatives of the deceased based on the complaint of the doctor. An investigation into the case is underway.

Also read- 11-Month-Old Infant Dies During Treatment, Family Creates Ruckus At Jabalpur Hospital