Jharkhand: COVID-19 positive patient dies as oxygen cyliner nozzle explodes at hospital

A COVID-19 positive patient died at a Jharkhand hospital after the nozzle of the oxygen cylinder exploded on Friday evening. The incident was reported from Dhanbad, where the man was tested positive on Thursday. One person from the hospital staff also suffered injuries in the incident. According to hospital sources, the oxygen cylinder exploded while being replaced by untrained hospital staff.

The deceased was identified as Shaym Kumar Sahu and was a resident of Jharia in Dhanbad. According to media reports, Sahu was brought to the hospital after he was diagnosed with coronavirus. 

The patient was put on oxygen support at the hospital after he had complained of breathing problems. 

“When the oxygen cylinder got empty, he (the patient) asked to replace it. But since no trained technician was around, an untrained staffer tried to change it but the nozzle smashed out in between, killing the patient,” said an eyewitness requesting anonymity.

Medical experts say that if the nozzle is not opened with utmost care, it may cause sudden decompression of the cylinder or the nozzle, causing injury to the people around.

Hospital administration however denied the claims and said that the patient succumbed to the virus after his condition deteriorated on Friday.

Sahu’s family members were later informed about the incident by hospital administration.

The 100-bedded COVID-19 hospital in Dhanbad is currently occupied by 80 patients suffering coronavirus.

Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner or any other hospital officials were not available for comments at the time of filing this report.