Jalandhar, July 29 -- Fluctuation in oxygen pressure in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the civil hospital in Jalandhar led to the death of three patients on Sunday night, government authorities said after state health minister Dr Balbir Singh's visit early on Monday. The hospital authorities admitted that there was a dip in oxygen supply and the backup cylinders were made functional "within no time". However, three patients in the ICU of the hospital's trauma centre died after the supply was disrupted from the pressure swing adsorption (PSA) plant when it developed a snag. The plant produces medical-grade oxygen on the hospital premises. The health minister, who visited the hospital in the wee hours along with Jalandhar deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal, said: "It is unfortunate. There was a fluctuation in the pressure in the oxygen supply for less than two minutes due to a snag in one of the compressors at the oxygen plant on Sunday evening." The technical attendant switched the oxygen supply from the plant to the turbo oxygen cylinders manually. "A probe has been ordered as a team of senior doctors and health department officials will conduct an independent and objective probe. The team would submit the report within 48 hours." Dr Anil Goyal, director Punjab Health Corporation System (PHSC), who is heading the probe panel, said: "Preliminary investigation found that the first patient on ventilator support showed symptoms of low oxygen level around 6.30pm followed by two other patients admitted in the trauma centre. The doctors found the low oxygen pressure on the gauge of the ventilators following which they immediately rectified it." "The panel is here to investigate all technical aspects before preparing a detailed report. We have recorded the statement of hospital staff," he said. A 15-year-old snake bite patient died at 7.15pm, a 32-year-old drug overdose patient breathed his last at 7.40pm and a 30-year-old lung disease patient died at 7.50pm. Congress MLAs from Jalandhar Cantonment Pargat Singh and MLA North Bawa Henry visited the hospital and raised the issue of the authorities handing over the bodies to the next of kin without carrying out the post-mortem. "How will the probe panel ascertain the cause of death of the patients due to dearth of oxygen without the post-mortem reports. This is to shield those behind such negligence," Pargat Singh said. He said the incident was not an isolated one but a reflection of Punjab's deteriorating public health system under the Aam Aadmi Party government. "This tragedy is not fate, it's failure. When life-saving systems fail in hospitals, it exposes a government that prioritises image-building over life-saving," he said. Demanding immediate technical audit of all ICU oxygen systems, he said had the government invested in basic hospital infrastructure instead of spending crores on posters and propaganda, these lives could have been saved. "Public healthcare is not a photo-op, it's a lifeline," Pargat Singh added. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, expressing shock and grief, sought exemplary punishment for the negligence. He also urged the government to provide adequate compensation to the victims' families. In a statement, Warring remarked, "This is not just criminal negligence, but murderous negligence that three people lost their lives. The guilty must be booked for murder." BJP's Punjab general secretary Rakesh Rathour, expressing anger over the incident, said it exposed the collapse of the healthcare system under the AAP government. "Strict legal action be taken against those responsible," he said....