Oxygen pipeline stolen at MP Hospital, 12 newborns Left Struggling to Breathe

Rajgarh: The theft of an oxygen supply pipe at the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Rajgarh District Hospital in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday night has left 12 newborns struggling with breathing difficulties, officials said.

According to the PTI report, the theft of the 10 to 15 feet long copper pipe by unidentified persons on Tuesday late at night disrupted the oxygen supply to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU), triggering panic as newborns started crying due to breathing difficulty, officials said.

As the inbuilt alarm system in the NICU started beeping, medical staff scrambled to restore the oxygen supply. An official said they managed the potentially threatening situation by swiftly attaching a backup jumbo oxygen cylinder to the system.

Also Read:Caught on camera: 9-year-old boy dies at Maha hospital after oxygen cylinder falls on his head

Paediatrician Dr RS Mathur rushed to the hospital after medical staffers informed him about the situation. The official said they restored the oxygen supply by deploying a jumbo cylinder, avoiding a potential tragedy.

Rajgarh district's Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Kiran Wadia said the oxygen supply was restored swiftly. He added that higher authorities have been informed about the incident, news agency PTI reported.

An official said 20 newborns were treated in the NICU, including 12 who were oxygen-dependent, when the incident unfolded.

"The crisis was managed thanks to the backup," he added.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that in a tragic incident, 10 newborns died and 16 got injured and are undergoing treatment after a massive fire broke out at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Jhansi Medical College in Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak launched a multi-level investigation into the incident. As the victims were mostly newborns, grief stricken parents have another burden to face- to attempt to identify their deceased children.

Also Read:Patient dies due to lack of oxygen: NHRC directs Bihar Govt to submit report in four weeks