CHANDIGARH: Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh today suspended three doctors, including the Medical Superintendent and the Senior Medical Officer, and dismissed a house surgeon “for gross negligence that led to the loss of lives of three patients due to disruption in the oxygen supply at the Jalandhar Civil Hospital”.
Those suspended are Medical Superintendent Dr Raj Kumar, Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Dr Surjeet Singh and Consultant Anesthesia Dr Sonakshi (on-duty doctor).
“All three doctors have been placed under suspension. A detailed inquiry is being conducted and they are likely to be dismissed and will lose all benefits of service,” said the Health Minister, adding that exemplary punishment would be given for this “unpardonable” administrative failure.
The House Surgeon, Dr Shaminder Singh, has been dismissed for gross dereliction of duty. He is accused of having left the hospital without permission. A sudden disruption in the oxygen supply caused by a technical fault in the oxygen plant of the hospital resulted in the death of three critically ill patients at the Jalandhar Civil Hospital on Sunday evening.
Addressing the media, Dr Balbir Singh said the preliminary investigation had 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 to 20 cylinders and a liquid medical oxygen plant ensuring four backup sources, he said, adding that irresponsible handling by the duty staff, however, resulted in the fatal drop in the oxygen pressure.
“The negligence was purely administrative. The hospital has 49 internal medical officers, 46 DNB 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 Dr Balbir Singh, while emphasising that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had always prioritised healthcare and eduction in the state and there was no dearth of funds for healthcare and education.
Meanwhile, the Health Minister has 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-minute back-up, and fully operational generator sets for critical equipment. There will be no excuse for such lapses,” he said.