MIANWALI, March 12: The heirs of a heart patient have blamed the non-availability of oxygen for the death of the patient in the Coronary Care Unit of the Mianwali District Headquarters Hospital. A hospital official has denied the allegation.

Muhammad Shoaib Khan, the son of deceased Hayat Khan, said that his father was admitted to the emergency ward of the hospital on Sunday morning after a heart attack. He was attended in the emergency ward by Dr Muhammad Naeem who immediately referred him to the CCU. He said that on their arrival in the unit, only nurses treated his father since no doctor was present there. He alleged that Dr Tariq Masood Khan, physician of the hospital, arrived after two hours and treated his gasping father. After three hours, he suffered a second heart attack and doctors Masood and Abdul Rauf attended him. He said both doctors suggested an immediate administration of oxygen to the patient but to their surprise all the oxygen cylinders were empty. He said that he contacted Dr Muhammad Farooq Khan, medical superintendent, on telephone at his residence in Kundian but to no avail. The relatives of the deceased said they would take legal action against hospital’s officials.

Dr Farooq, however, refuted the allegation of non-availability of oxygen and said the patient had died of a heart attack despite attempts by the physician to save him.