As centre claims no deaths due to oxygen shortage — Andhra govt confirms 23 such deaths on a single day in May
While the central government claims that the states have not ‘specifically’ reported deaths of COVID19 patients during the second wave of the pandemic in India, Andhra Pradesh government confirmed deaths of 23 COVID19 patients due to non-availability of oxygen.
So far, 420,016 people in the country have lost their lives to the coronavirus. Photo: Gaon Connection
Four days after the central government stated that the states did not provide data for the COVID19 deaths as a result of oxygen shortage, the Andhra Pradesh government has confirmed deaths of 23 such COVID19 patients on a single day in May.
The state government stated that these patients died due to non-availability of oxygen at SVPR government general hospital in Tirupati on May 10.
This was highlighted in a letter issued to the station officer, Alipiri Police station in Tirupati by the Superintendent of the hospital.
“You are aware that 23 COVID-19 patients expired due to non availability of Oxygen on 10-05-2021 in Medical wards of this hospital due to the delay caused in providing liquid medical oxygen on time by the oxygen supply agency,” read the letter dated July 23. An FIR in this regard has been filed against the medical distributor.
Four days back on July 20, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told Rajya Sabha during the monsoon session of the Parliament that the states have not specifically reported deaths of COVID19 patients during the second wave of the pandemic in India.
Responding to a question raised in the Upper House on whether a large number of COVID19 patients died on roads and hospitals due to acute shortage of oxygen in the second wave, Minister of State for Health Bharati Praveen Pawar stated that ‘no deaths due to lack of oxygen have been specifically reported by states and UTs’.
The next day on July 21, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope backed the Centre’s claim saying that no COVID patient in the state had died due to lack of oxygen.
Apart from Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, have also denied such deaths during the second wave of the pandemic.
However, Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo claimed the central government never sought data on COVID19 deaths due to oxygen shortage from the state.
“How would we have told them if they never asked us about it? The Centre never sought data on deaths due to lack of oxygen from states. The Centre has deliberately misled Parliament without checking with states,” he tweeted.
Although the state government has denied record of such deaths in the state, the Chhattisgarh government has assured to re-audit deaths recorded during the second wave of COVID-19 in the state. This will be done to ascertain if any of the patients succumbed due to a shortage of medical oxygen, Deo tweeted on July 22.
“We are expanding our public audit to get all information on any death in hospitals or outside due to a shortage of oxygen during the second wave of COVID-19 in the state,” he said.
He also urged the central government to conduct a similar audit of deaths to get a record of such instances.
During the second COVID19 wave, a number of states and Union Territories including the national capital Delhi and Maharashtra had been regularly reporting shortage of oxygen in the hospitals treating COVID19 patients.
So far, 420,016 people in the country have lost their lives to the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) virus.
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