Woman Dies After Hospital Allegedly Kept Her On 'High Flow Oxygen' Support

A 35-year-old woman in India lost her life after she was allegedly kept on "high-flow oxygen" support for hours. Her family alleged that she died of medical negligence.

Sholi Jan died at a government hospital in the Himalayan region of Kashmir on Monday, reported Greater Kashmir.

Sholi Jan's brother, Tariq Ahmad, said the woman went to a doctor at a private clinic for a routine check-up Sunday. She was anemic and was recovering from an unspecified illness.

"On Sunday, she went for a routine check-up at a private clinic. The doctor there advised her to go to the hospital for oxygen support for some time as her oxygen level was 80," Ahmad told the news outlet.

She was placed on oxygen support at the hospital. Ahmad alleged that his sister did inform the medical staff that she was experiencing discomfort.

"As my sister was on oxygen support, she felt discomfort, but the doctors present there didn't pay heed and kept on saying she is alright," Ahmad said.

He added that the woman was kept on oxygen support for hours without being monitored. Ahmad believes this damaged her lungs and caused her death.

The family requested the hospital to shift her to a better facility after her condition worsened. However, the doctors delayed the process and only agreed to do so when her condition deteriorated. She succumbed before they could shift her to another hospital.

The family has now approached the state health department alleging medical negligence on the part of the hospital staff, said local reports.

However, the hospital claimed that the patient was suffering from Myotonia, an inability of skeletal muscle fibers to relax, resulting in spasmodic contraction.

"She was put on 10 mpl oxygen support and later even intubated when her condition deteriorated but couldn’t survive. We will be recording the statements of the concerned doctors to ascertain the truth," Dr. Muzafar Zargar, the medical superintendent at the hospital, told Greater Kashmir.

Last year, 24 people died due to medical negligence at a hospital in the Indian state of Maharastra. They reportedly died due to oxygen deprivation after a tank leak led to the malfunctioning of ventilators and oxygen support equipment.