Lucknow: Sticking to it’s earlier statement, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday night claimed that no child died due to oxygen shortage in Gorakhpur BRD Medical College hospital.
However, the state health minister has admitted that there was shortage of oxygen supply on August 10 between 1130 hrs to 1330 hrs to the children who were on artificial respiratory system.
But he too denied the lack of oxygen as the cause of death of 23 children, who died on the very same day. Giving a statement after more than 24 hours of the cause of the deaths, Yogi told mediapersons here that after an emergency meeting with Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel and two state health ministers, the principal of the BRD medical college Dr RK Mishra has been suspended and a committee headed by Chief Secretary would probe the private company who was supplying the oxygen. ”The matter is under investigation and the guilty would be punished to prevent the re-occurrence of such incidents”, Yogi Adityanath said. Patel said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was concerned about the incident and assured all cooperation to UP in health sector. State Health Minister Sidharthnath Singh claimed that during the past three years the death of children due to encephilites in August was between 19 to 22 per day but this year it was just around 10 per day in the first 12 days of August. He claimed that there was low pressure on oxygen on August 20 in the morning between 0730 hrs to 1130 hrs but artifical respatory system was used for two hours thereafter. He too denied any death due to shortfall of oxygen though 23 children died.
Ashutosh Tandon, Medical and Education Minister said that there had been delay in payment to the gas supplier by the BRD medical college authorities and a probe had been ordered to find out the reasons. (PTI)
