Punjab health minister orders probe into Jalandhar hospital deaths
After word spread about the incident late Sunday night, the minister and Jalandhar deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal reached the hospital around 12.55 am.
The minister said that due to a technical snag, the oxygen plant witnessed a brief low-pressure issue, which was promptly managed with a backup system as the plant operator immediately changed over the entire system to an alternate compressor.
"However, to ensure transparency and accountability, a high-level probe has been initiated.
Senior health department officials have been directed to investigate the matter and submit a report within 48 hours," he added.
He pointed out that the patients who died were in critical condition — one had multiple organ failure, and another was suffering from a chronic disease. He further stated that there was no shortage of manpower, with 46 interns, 14 house surgeons, and DNB students deployed to ensure patient care.
Emphasising accountability, the minister said strict action would be taken if any lapses or negligence by hospital staff were found. He also assured that the govt will take measures to prevent such incidents in the future by addressing any gaps highlighted in the inquiry report.
Meanwhile, DC Aggarwal said, "The report will clarify whether the deaths were due to oxygen issues or other medical complications."
Punjab minister Mohinder Bhagat also visited the hospital.
Terming this "first such occurrence at the govt hospital," he stressed the need for stringent preventive measures to ensure such incidents would not be repeated. He said that the state govt stood firmly with the bereaved families.
Cong slams 'cover-up' attempts
Congress MLAs Pargat Singh, Bawa Henry, former MLA and district Congress Committee president Rajinder Beri, and Punjab Youth Congress secretary Angad Dutta visited the civil hospital and criticised the AAP govt for its "negligence and cover-up attempts".
Pargat said that the health minister must resign on moral grounds. "How can the minister confidently declare the cause of death without post-mortems? On what legal basis will the govt defend itself in court?" he questioned. "This is a blatant attempt to suppress the truth and avoid accountability," he said.
"This is a social media govt. They harped on so-called "education and health revolutions," but on the ground, everything remained hollow.
While real patients die for lack of oxygen, the govt has allocated Rs1,200 crore for social media publicity – Rs 500–600 crore for Punjab, and the rest for other states. It's a publicity machine, not a govt," he said.
MLA Bawa Henry also said that post-mortem was not conducted on the patients to ascertain the reason for death, and at least one of them was cremated by early afternoon.
BSP demands compensation
Visiting the civil hospital, Bahujan Samaj party state president Avtar Singh Karimpuri said that the so-called education and health 'krantis' of the AAP govt stood exposed. He also demanded compensation for the families of the patients who died.
MSID:: 122955313 413 |
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
3 hours ago
- India Today
CTE explained: The brain disease cited by Manhattan shooter in suicide note
The degenerative brain disease that has besieged the National Football League for two decades with a billion-dollar lawsuit, congressional hearings, an A-list movie and an unrelenting cortege of ex-players' obituaries has now intruded on America's favorite sport in the most violent manner Las Vegas casino worker who killed four people in a New York City skyscraper that is home to the NFL's headquarters carried a note blaming the league for mental health problems he attributed to his time as a high school football Tamura, 27, said in a three-page note found in his wallet that he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy — diagnosable only after death — and implored those who found him: 'Study my brain.' Among his grievances against the NFL was a claim that the league put its profits ahead of player safety by concealing the harm CTE, and football, can cause. Echoing an eerie trend in NFL player suicides, he shot himself in the chest, preserving his brain for an autopsy that could confirm whether his layman's diagnosis was correct.A degenerative brain disease that has been linked to concussions and other head trauma common in military combat and contact sports, CTE has been diagnosed in more than 100 former NFL players and arisen as an existential threat to the United States' most powerful pro sports dangers have led some states to consider banning youth football, prompted leagues at most levels to limit contact drills in practice, and spawned a series of concussion protocols and other rule changes designed to take the most violent edges off the hard-hitting is what we know and don't know about the connection between CTE, the NFL and the IS CTE?Chronic traumatic encephalopathy can affect regions of the brain involved with regulating behavior and emotions. This can lead to memory loss, depression, violent mood swings and other cognitive and behavioral issues, though researchers note that these symptoms can also be linked to other say symptoms can arise years or decades after the last brain trauma. Evidence of the disease has been found not just in those with long professional careers but in high school athletes as IS IT ASSOCIATED WITH THE NFL? Researchers have established a connection between CTE and contact sports, military combat and other activities with repeated blows to the head. After more than a decade of denial, the NFL conceded the link between football and CTE in 2016 testimony before Congress, and has so far paid more than $1.4 billion to retired players to settle concussion-related 2015 Will Smith film 'Concussion' detailed the pioneering efforts of forensic pathologist Bennet Omalu, whose diagnosis of CTE in Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame center Mike Webster was the first in a former NFL player. Hall of Famers Ken Stabler, Frank Gifford and Junior Seau have also been diagnosed with CTE, as has Aaron Hernandez; in a 2017 paper, evidence of the disease was found 110 of the 111 former NFL players' brains THE NFL HEADQUARTERS SHOOTER HAVE CTE ?It's not possible to now, CTE can only be diagnosed definitively by examining the brain posthumously through an autopsy. According to Boston University's Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center, progressive degeneration of brain tissue in people with CTE includes the buildup of an abnormal protein called tau in a pattern that distinguishes it from other diseases such as Alzheimer's.- Ends
NDTV
9 hours ago
- NDTV
Bengaluru Man, 70, Out For Walk, Mauled To Death By Stray Dogs Outside Home
A 70-year-old man, Seethappa, died after being allegedly mauled by a pack of stray dogs just outside his house in Kodigehalli, Karnataka, during the early hours of Sunday. According to his family members, the elderly man had stepped out for a walk around midnight as he was unable to sleep, when a group of at least eight strays allegedly attacked him. Seethappa suffered serious injuries to his hands, legs, and face, with portions of flesh torn off in the attack. His family members, who rushed out upon hearing the commotion, claim they witnessed the pack of dogs attacking him. He was declared dead at the hospital. The Kodigehalli Police have registered a case and launched an investigation. An Unnatural Death Report (UDR) has been filed in the matter. Cops are examining CCTV footage and speaking to residents to establish the sequence of events. This incident is the latest in a disturbing rise in stray dog attacks across the country. A couple of weeks ago, a three-year-old girl was viciously attacked in Shimla Nagar of Old Hubballi in Karnataka. The child, who was walking towards a shop, was attacked by a group of stray dogs in the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation area. CCTV footage of the attack showed the dogs biting her shoulder, back, legs, and arms, dragging her to the ground. She was rushed to KIMS Hospital with serious injuries. The Bruhat Bengaluru Municipal Parishad (BBMP) recently launched a project worth Rs 2.9 crore to feed 4,000-5,000 stray dogs daily across Bengaluru. Through the scheme, BBMP planned to provide cooked meals of chicken, rice, and other meals to stray dogs. The aim was to reduce dog aggression, among other things. The move sparked public debate, with many questioning the move to feed stray dogs. Congress MP Karti Chidambaram has expressed concern over increasing dog bite incidents across the country and said it's a "health and safety issue". The Congress MP told NDTV that the Centre's data, shared in the Parliament, showed that over 37 lakh dog bite cases were reported last year, but "does not give a full picture because of the reporting mechanism." The Congress MP has raised the issue of stray dogs, their rehabilitation, and incidents of dog bites in the past. Mr Chidambaram said he even met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the concern.
The Hindu
10 hours ago
- The Hindu
Blood group not found anywhere else in the world discovered at Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre
A historic milestone in transfusion medicine has been achieved at the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre, wherein a new blood group, previously unidentified anywhere in the world, has been discovered in a 38-year-old South Indian woman. The International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL) at Bristol in the U.K., which detected the unknown blood group antigen after 10 months of extensive research and molecular testing, has found this new antigen to be part of the Cromer (CR) blood group system. In recognition of its origin, the group has been officially named 'CRIB', with CR representing Cromer and IB standing for India, Bengaluru. When the 38-year-old woman was admitted to the R.L. Jalappa Hospital and Research Centre in Kolar for a cardiac surgery in February last year, little did she know she would make history. Her blood group was O Positive. The surgeons asked the hospital blood bank to keep compatible blood in readiness prior to the surgery. But they could not find a single matched unit from their stock of O Positive blood. Ankit Mathur, Additional Medical Director at the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre, told The Hindu on Tuesday that her blood sample was sent from Jalappa hospital to the Advanced Immunohematology Reference Lab at Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre, where it was found to be 'Panreactive'. This means it was incompatible (not matching) with all the samples they tested using advanced techniques. Family tested 'This case was very complicated, and it was a strong indication of a rare blood group. Since rare blood types sometimes occur as clusters in a family, we collected blood samples from 20 of her family members, including her children. However, none of her family members were a match either. We counselled her family and physicians, and thankfully, her surgery and recovery were managed smoothly without the need for any blood transfusions,' Dr. Mathur said. 'In future, if the woman needs a blood transfusion, we may have to do an autologous transfusion. If it is a planned surgery, we may have to give her iron supplements to boost her haemoglobin levels and collect her own blood and use it if necessary for the surgery,' he explained. Subsequently, the blood samples of the patient as well as the family were sent to the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL), Bristol, U.K. 'After about 10 months of advanced testing, the IBGRL reported that she has a never-before-described blood group antigen. They enumerated the structure and function of this antigen using molecular and other techniques. It was a new antigen within the blood group system called Cromer (CR),' said Soumee Banerjee, consultant (Transfusion Medicine) at the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre. At the 35th Regional Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), held in Milan, Italy, on June 4, 2025, this antigen was named CRIB. 'This makes the woman the first person in the world to present with this antigen. The blood group nomenclature is decided by the ISBT, Red Cell Immunogenetics and Terminology,' Dr. Banerjee said. Rare donor registry To support the blood requirements of patients with rare blood groups, Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre's Bangalore Medical Services Trust (BMST), in association with the Karnataka State Blood Transfusion Council, and ICMR's National Institute of Immunohematology, launched a 'Rare Blood Donor' programme in January last year. 'We have been instrumental in identifying and providing optimal transfusion support to several other rare blood type patients (such as D- -, Rh null, and In b negative) over the recent years. These cases have also been published and presented at international forums. Till today, we have conducted testing on 2,108 regular repeat donors and found 21 donors are in the rare blood group type,' Dr. Mathur added.
