Several patients have reportedly died at a Covid-19 dedicated hospital in southwestern Bangladesh amid a shortage of medical oxygen at the facility.

The development came in the midst of a spike in the coronavirus infection in the country, with the daily new cases increasing over 4.5 times in the last one month. The worsening situation has prompted authorities to enforce a seven-day harsh lockdown across the nation that started Thursday.
 
A staffer at the Satkhira Medical College Hospital, asking not to be named, told bdnews24.com as many as six people passed away during a disruption in the oxygen supply on Wednesday.

The hospital authorities admitted disruption in oxygen supply but did not confirm the deaths. They said the problem was resolved soon afterward.

Manas Kumar Mandal, chief of the hospital's corona unit, said, “Oxygen levels in the hospital had been declining since the afternoon. This was reported in the morning. Since then, oxygen supplies have been brought from Jashore. The oxygen level in the hospital has now returned to normal. ”

Satkhira district’s Civil Surgeon Hussain Shafayat confirmed the deaths of four coronavirus patients but did not specify the reasons for their demise.

However, he said that if there was any negligence in managing the oxygen supply system, it will be investigated.

A hospital worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "There was an oxygen crisis and six people died. But I can't say whether it was down to the oxygen shortage.”

Taj Muhammad Khan, son of 63-year-old Akram Hossain Khan who died in the ICU unit, said the hospital had been experiencing problems with the central oxygen supply for the past few days. But the authorities did not pay attention to that.

 (SAM)