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Nashik tragedy: FIR registered, probe on
The leak was on account of a fault in the tank’s valves that caused the prescribed oxygen pressure to reduce, leading to oxygen deprivation.
A day after 24 Covid-19 patients died of oxygen deprivation in Nashik, the police on Thursday registered an FIR and appointed an assistant commissioner of police (ACP)-level officer to probe the incident.
The first information report (FIR) was registered at Bhadrakali Police station under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code over allegations of gross negligence following oxygen supply disruption that led to death of 24 people at the civic-run Zakir Hussain hospital, said -olice commissioner Deepak Pandey. “We have lodged an FIR for negligence against unidentified persons,” said Pandey.
The leak was on account of a fault in the tank’s valves that caused the prescribed oxygen pressure to reduce, leading to oxygen deprivation. The hospital, a civic-run entity, was treating 157 Covid patients, of which 131 were on oxygen support and 15 were on ventilators.
A day after the tragedy, the district and civic administration completely restored the oxygen supply to ensure there is no impact on the flow of patients at Zakir Hussain hospital.
“We have been able to restore the oxygen supply at the hospital, where over 150 patients are being treated for Covid,” said Nashik District Collector Suraj Mandhare. He also met a delegation of private doctors and members affiliated to Indian Medical Association, Nashik, to discuss the acute shortage of supply of oxygen to the private hospitals.
The tank was operationalised just 21 days before the incident, an official said. “The oxygen tank, having a storage capacity of 13 KL, was operationalised on March 31,” said a senior police official.
He said the police also got to know that the oxygen tank belonged to (Vadodara-based) Inoxcva company and was taken on rent for 10 years from Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (a Japanese company which supplies industrial gases like oxygen and nitrogen to a wide range of industries).
Earlier on Wednesday evening, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope after visiting hospital in Nashik, said, a seven-member high powered committee comprising of experts from various fields will probe the incident to fix the responsibility. The committee will carry out inquiry separately besides the police probe.
“Nashik Divisional Commissioner Radhakrishna Game will chair the committee which will have deputy director from state health department Dr PN Gandal, city based intensivist Pramod Gunjal, prof Dyandev Nathe, Nashik Municipal Corporation additional engineer Sandeep Nalawade, Joint Director of FDA Madhuri Pawar and Harshal Patil, an expert involved in installing oxygen plants,” said Tope.
The committee, according to Tope, will also recommend measures to prevent such incidents from happening in future by drafting Standard Operating Procedures.
