Over a dozen newborns gasped for air after thieves broke and stole a portion of the oxygen pipeline at a hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Rajgarh district. The incident occurred on Tuesday night in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Rajgarh District Hospital, where more than 20 infants were admitted.

Around midnight, 12 babies who were on oxygen support began crying as the supply stopped abruptly. The medical staff noticed this immediately and reported the problem to the doctor who was on duty. The alarm system in the NICU also started beeping with a message of emergency.

Dr RS Mathur, a pediatrician at the district hospital, said,“The infants started crying after which the staff rushed to find out that the pipeline was cut.”

He further said that something similar had happened a little over a month ago in the hospital's new building.

Acting quickly, the nurses and doctors attached a backup jumbo oxygen cylinder to reinstate the oxygen supply. Their timely response prevented the catastrophe and further calmed the newborns down. Dr. Mathur arrived at the hospital immediately and the medical staff reported the incident to him. 

Why did thieves steal the pipeline?

According to the officials, the thieves targeted the copper oxygen pipeline in the hospital. Copper, sold as scrap, is of good value. They took off about 10 to 15 feet of the copper pipe, thereby cutting the oxygen supply to the NICU.

Chief Medical and Health Officer, Dr. Kiran Wadia said the oxygen supply had been restored promptly. “Higher authorities have been informed about the incident,” he said. 

This is the second of such incidents in the recent past, raising serious questions over the security of hospitals. Authorities are now under pressure to tighten surveillance and prevent such thefts that put vulnerable patients' lives in danger.