This story is from May 7, 2021

Karnataka: Woman dies on the way to Chikkaballapur hospital

Karnataka: Woman dies on the way to Chikkaballapur hospital
People wait for vaccination at a BBMP health centre on Thursday. More citizens are turning up for jabs.
BENGALURU: A Covid-19 patient who was being shifted from Bengaluru to a hospital in Chikkaballapur died early on Thursday after her oxygen supply in the ambulance reportedly got over. Earlier, her family had searched for an ICU bed in the tech capital for three days, but to no avail.
The 75-year-old woman, who lived in south Bengaluru, tested positive last week and was advised home isolation.
A few days ago, her oxygen level started to dip. “Family members had arranged oxygen at home for her. After her condition worsened, they desperately tried to find an ICU bed in the city, contacting several hospitals,” said Kamran, a Covid volunteer who mobilises resources for patients. Kamran had been helping the woman, the mother of his Canada-based friend.
Most hospitals reportedly said they had no vacant beds in their intensive care units. The family members then arranged a hospital bed in Chikkaballapur, their native place, and decided to shift her there in an ambulance on Wednesday.
“They rushed here as her condition was deteriorating. Sadly, the oxygen cylinder they were carrying became empty 30 to 45 minutes before the destination. When they reached the hospital, she was pronounced dead,” said Kamran.
The family was too upset to speak about what had happened. The last rites were performed in the native village in Chikkaballapur on Thursday.
With coronavirus infections and hospitalisations rising daily, many patients in Bengaluru are unable to get hospital beds. The shortage of medical oxygen has compounded the problems. TOI had reported earlier that some patients with severe infection are dying while searching for a bed.
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