Patients' death at Govt General Hospital creates uproar

GUNTUR: The death of three patients in a span of a few hours in the intensive care unit (ICU) of government general hospital (GGH), Guntur, created ripples in the hospital administration here on Friday. The issue gained momentum with the family members of a patient alleging that non-functional air-conditioning units in the ICU was the chief reason for the death of the patients.
According to information, three patients - Sridevi 25, Jyothi 30 and Yesupadam 65 - admitted to ICU, last week, breathed their last in a span of 12 hours since Thursday night.As the news spread, the family members of the other patients approached the hospital authorities with different complaints.
They said that unhygienic conditions due to non-performing ACs led to the spread of virus in the wards causing the deaths. While Sridevi was brought to the GGH on ventilation from a private hospital, the other too were shifted to the ICU when their condition turned critical due to breathing troubles.
In-charge superintendent of GGH Phanibhushan visited the ICU and clarified that non-functioning of air-conditioning units was not the reason for the deaths. He said the three patients were brought at the eleventh hour and the doctors had tried their best to save them.
However, the unrelenting kin of the victims called the media and brought the issue to the notice of district collector B Ramanjaneyulu, forcing him to rush to the GGH and verify the functioning of the AC units in the ICU around afternoon.
Later, the collector said they would fix two new AC machines in the ICU within two days as the existing units were found to be insufficient to ward off the searing heat prevailing outside. He, however, rejected the argument of the kin that defective ACs was the main reason for the death of the patients.