RANCHI: A man admitted to COVID-19 hospital in Dhanbad after being tested positive on Thursday, was killed in oxygen cylinder nozzle blast on Friday evening, while one hospital staff also suffered injuries in the accident.
According to hospital sources, the oxygen cylinder exploded while being replaced by an untrained hospital staff.
The deceased, Shaym Kumar Sahu, a resident of Jharia in Dhanbad, was brought to the hospital after being tested positive on Thursday and was put on oxygen after he complained of breathing problem, sources said.
“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.