New Delhi, Sep 13 : A committee in the parliamentary chamber has recommended to the Union Health Ministry for the “audit of deaths due to oxygen deficiency” particularly in the Covid second wave, in coordination with states to ensure a thorough documentation of the deaths. “The Committee in its 123rd Report had warned the Government of the possibility of a insufficient supply of Oxygen Cylinders.
Oxygen Cylinders and the supply of Oxygen in the hospitals.The Committee regrets that the Ministry in its report in 2020 had claimed that the country was self-sufficient in Oxygen as well as Oxygen Cylinders; however, their false claims were shockingly exposed during the second round,” declared the panel.
The panel further stated it was Committee is “disturbed” by the ministry’s “unfortunate” refusal to acknowledge the existence of the Covid deaths due to Oxygen shortage in the country.
The Committee examines the media reports that state that there were many deaths resulting from oxygen shortages in the hospitals.
But, the utter lack of consideration of this information demonstrates the lack of compassion in the official language and the parliamentary pannel that claims.
The Committee finds that there were no specific guidelines to identify deaths resulting from an insufficient availability of oxygen.
Oxygen deficiency is not listed as an reason of deaths in medical reports, and the majority of deaths were due to co-morbidities adding to the.
“The Committee is disappointed at this complete ignorance of the Government and strongly urges the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to investigate the number of deaths caused by oxygen shortages, especially during the second phase of Covid.The Ministry, in coordination with the States should audit the deaths resulting from oxygen shortage, and allow for robust documentation of the deaths caused by covid which will ultimately lead to a sensible and responsible sense of government and the prudent formulation of policy and tackle the issue of health emergencies in health care,” said the Parliamentary Panel.
The Committee is also looking forward to more transparency and accountability from the government agencies.
The Ministry should thoroughly examine the oxygen-stricken Covid deaths to ensure a fair compensation is paid to the families of the victims, the panel stated in the report.
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