4-Year-Old Boy Dies After Hospital Staff Allegedly Cut Off His Oxygen Supply

A 4-year-old boy who was undergoing treatment for lung disease died after a hospital employee allegedly removed his oxygen supply. The child's parents said the hospital staff was angry because they refused to pay him a bribe.

Mohammad Khaja, from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, was admitted to the Niloufer Hospital on Wednesday after contracting pneumonia, reported The New Indian Express. The child died three days later.

His father, Mohammed Azam, alleged that a hospital employee, identified as Subhash, approached the family and asked them to pay INR 100 ($1.35).

"He (Khaja) was in dire need of oxygen. Ward boy Subhash demanded INR 100 from us to connect the supply lines to his bed. When we refused to pay him, he just walked out of the ward," Azam was quoted by The New Indian Express.

Minutes later, the child breathed his last. The family alleged that Subhash removed the boy's oxygen supply and gave it to another patient who agreed to pay him the amount, said reports.

The family protested in front of the hospital soon after the child's death. Subhash, who was an outsourced employee, was removed from service following this.

However, the hospital authorities denied the allegations that the child died without getting oxygen and said the family's claims were dubious since they hadn't filed a police complaint yet. Dr. V Muralikrishna, a senior hospital official, said the employee was suspended for seeking a bribe and an inquiry was on.

The doctor added that no one would deny oxygen to a child for a meager sum of INR 100. "The boy's parents may have made the allegation out of frustration. The hospital had 700 oxygen lines and there was no shortage of oxygen," he said, adding that the child was suffering from a rare disease called Prader-Willi Syndrome. He had difficulty breathing after contracting pneumonia.

In a similar incident a few months ago, a 17-year-old boy in India alleged that his mother died after some policemen forcibly took away her oxygen cylinder to give to an influential person. The woman was undergoing treatment for COVID-19.