Oxygen Disruption Causes Deaths; Covid-19 Plants Non-Functional

On 28 Jul, three patients admitted in the trauma ward of the Civil Hospital in Jalandhar, who were on ventilator support, died within a span of 35 minutes when the oxygen supply stopped. The deceased included a snakebite victim, a youth who had taken an overdose of drugs and a tuberculosis patient. Panjab Health Systems Corporation director Dr. Anil Goel said that there was a glitch in the oxygen supply plant for 25-30 minutes. Panjab Health Minister Balbir Singh said although the hospital had four sources of oxygen, poor management led to the deaths. He added, ‘The Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr. Raj Kumar, Senior Medical Officer Dr. Surjit Singh, Consultant Anaesthetist Dr. Sunakshi are being placed under suspension. House Surgeon Dr. Shivinder Singh is being dismissed from service.’ The incident has revealed a larger gap in Panjab's health system. More than three years after Panjab rushed to install oxygen generation plants in response to the Covid-19 crisis, 35 oxygen plants are currently non-functional. The Health Minister has repeatedly referred to oxygen plants as 'white elephants', citing high maintenance costs and low utilization as key concerns. It is ironic that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came to power in Panjab on the planks of health and education, now calls key health infrastructure a ‘white elephant’. Meanwhile, data compiled by the Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association shows at least 60 incidents of violence 'endangering the lives of doctors and other healthcare staff' in the past year. Doctors are demanding adequate security arrangements. PCMS Association reminded the Health Secretary that the AAP-led state government is yet to fulfill its promise of deploying security personnel at govt health facilities on 19 Aug 2024. Doctors expect the promise will now be fulfilled by 19 Aug this year.' Concurrently, according to data shared by the Union Health Ministry in Parliament, Panjab has emerged as a significant contributor to the national thalassemia burden, accounting for nearly 6% of all registered cases across the country in 2025.