Chandigarh, Jul 30 (PTI) Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh on Wednesday announced the suspension of three senior doctors and dismissal of a house surgeon for “gross negligence” after three patients died because of the disruption in oxygen supply at a civil hospital in Jalandhar.
The three suspended doctors — Medical Superintendent Raj Kumar, senior medical officer Surjit Singh and consultant anesthetist Sonakshi (on-duty doctor)- may face removal or dismissal from service, the minister told reporters.
“All three doctors have been placed under suspension. Detailed inquiry is being conducted and they are likely to be dismissed from the service and lose all benefits of the service,” said the minister, while stating that exemplary punishment will be given for this “unpardonable” administrative failure.
House Surgeon Shaminder Singh has been dismissed for gross dereliction of duty, he said.
The minister said the preliminary investigation has revealed that the incident occurred due to administrative failure, despite the availability of adequate infrastructure, manpower and multiple oxygen supply sources at the facility.
The hospital had a functional pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plant with dual compressors, a manifold system with 18-20 cylinders, and a liquid medical oxygen plant ensuring four backup sources, he said.
However, the “irresponsible handling” by the duty staff resulted in the fatal drop in oxygen pressure.
“The negligence was purely administrative. The hospital has 49 internal medical officers, 46 doctors, 14 house surgeons, and 17 medical officers — enough to ensure one doctor per bed. Yet, lives were lost due to sheer dereliction of duty,” said the minister said.
He emphasised that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal have always prioritised healthcare and education in the state, and there is no dearth of funds for healthcare and education.
Meanwhile, the health minister has also issued strict directives to ensure uninterrupted oxygen supply and power backup in all critical care units, including ICUs, Operation Theatres (OTs), and emergency wards across all government health facilities in the state.
“All government hospitals should have 24×7 oxygen availability, functional UPS systems with 30 minutes back-up, and fully operational generator sets for critical equipment. There will be no excuse for such lapses,” he added.
On July 27, three patients at Jalandhar Civil Hospital died and their families claimed the deaths were caused by a technical fault in the oxygen supply at the trauma centre.
Hospital authorities at Shaheed Babu Labh Singh Civil Hospital acknowledged a brief dip in oxygen supply but maintained that backup oxygen cylinders were promptly activated.
The patients included a 15-year-old admitted for a snake bite, a drug overdose patient, and a tuberculosis patient — all of whom were on ventilators at the time. PTI CHS RT RT
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.