At least 12 Covid-19 patients died due to alleged shortage of oxygen in a medical college in Shahdol on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, the families of the deceased said, even as Madhya Pradesh medical education minister Vishwas Sarang asserted that no deaths took place for lack of supply.
“My brother was fine at 9pm on Saturday. The doctors told me that they were giving oxygen to him and he will be fine. But at 4am on Sunday, people began shouting that there was a shortage of oxygen. The patients were not getting oxygen. The family members tried to enter the ward but the hospital staff stopped us,” Prem Kevrani, whose 31-year-old brother succumbed to the infection, said on Sunday.
“Later, I entered the ward and checked my brother. His body had turned cold and there were 11 others who died in the ward. The hospital staff said they died as they did not get proper oxygen,” he added.
Sarang, however, said there was no shortage of oxygen and that a probe was ordered. “The serious patients died due to medical complications but an inquiry has been ordered in the matter to know the cause of the death of so many patients in one night.”
Shahdol medical college dean Dr Milind Shilarkar said: “An oxygen tanker was scheduled to reach Shahdol on Saturday but it didn’t reach the medical college due to some mechanical issue... But, we were providing oxygen through small cylinders. The patients were admitted in a serious condition and they died due to health complications.”
{{/usCountry}}Shahdol medical college dean Dr Milind Shilarkar said: “An oxygen tanker was scheduled to reach Shahdol on Saturday but it didn’t reach the medical college due to some mechanical issue... But, we were providing oxygen through small cylinders. The patients were admitted in a serious condition and they died due to health complications.”
{{/usCountry}}Attacking the government, MP Congress chief Kamal Nath said: “CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan is lying about oxygen supply by giving fake data. When will this end?”