Image Source: Agencies

July 31, 2025: For gross negligence that led to the loss of lives of three patients due to disruption in the oxygen supply at the Jalandhar Civil Hospital, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Balbir Singh suspended a house surgeon and suspended the Medical Superintendent and Senior Medical Officer.

Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Surjeet Singh, Consultant Anesthesia Dr. Sonakshi, and Medical Superintendent Dr. Raj Kumar are all suspended. "The suspension has been placed on all three doctors. The Health Minister stated, "They are likely to be dismissed and will lose all benefits of service," adding that exemplary punishment would be given for this "unpardonable" administrative failure. A thorough investigation is being conducted.

The House Surgeon, Dr Shaminder Singh, has been dismissed for gross dereliction of duty. He is alleged to have left the medical facility without permission. Three critically ill patients died at the Jalandhar Civil Hospital on Sunday evening due to a sudden interruption in the oxygen supply brought on by a technical issue with the oxygen plant. In an address to the media, Dr. Balbir Singh stated that, despite the facility's adequate infrastructure, personnel, and numerous oxygen supply sources, the incident was caused by administrative failure, as revealed by the preliminary investigation. He stated that the hospital had four backup sources, including a liquid medical oxygen plant, a manifold system with 18 to 20 cylinders, and a functional pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plant with dual compressors.

However, irresponsible handling by the duty staff led to the fatal drop in oxygen pressure. The error was solely administrative. The hospital has 49 internal medical officers, 46 DNB doctors, 14 house surgeons and 17 medical officers — enough to ensure one doctor per bed. While Dr. Balbir Singh emphasized that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had always prioritized healthcare and education in the state and that there was no dearth of funds for healthcare and education, "lives were lost due to sheer dereliction of duty."

Meanwhile, the Health Minister has issued strict directives to ensure uninterrupted oxygen supply and power backup in all critical care units, including ICUs, operation theatres (OTs) and emergency wards across all government health facilities in the state.
“Oxygen should be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, UPS systems should have a 30-minute back-up, and generator sets for critical equipment should be fully operational. He stated, "There will be no excuse for such lapses."