Dec. 7, 2020
Six coronavirus patients have died in a hospital in Pakistan after oxygen supplies ran too low.
Patients’ relatives have described how they begged for help as panic engulfed the government-run hospital in the northern city of Peshawar.
A delay in deliveries meant more than 200 patients were left for hours on reduced oxygen.
Hospital officials have blamed the shortage on the supply company but several staff have been suspended.
Pakistan is currently fighting a new wave of coronavirus cases, with a total of more then 400,000 infections and over 8,000 deaths reported since the start of the outbreak.
According to local media, the problems at Khyber Teaching Hospital began after the daily supply of fresh oxygen cylinders did not arrive on Saturday evening. The 300 backup cylinders were then unable to supply the required pressure for the ventilators.
Mureed Ali, whose mother is ill with Covid-19, told BBC Urdu that “throughout the hospital, we were running to save our patients, begging the medical staff”.
Read more at www.bbc.com
