According to NDTV, 74 coronavirus patients died at the Goa Medical College and Hospital in the last four days. The deaths were allegedly caused by a shortage of medical oxygen at Goa’s largest Covid-19 plant. The state government, on the other hand, has refuted this argument.
According to former Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sardesai, 13 people died between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Friday due to “logistical problems.” 15 patients died on Thursday. Twenty people died the day before, and 26 people died from the coronavirus on Tuesday.
Goemkars are devastated & heartbroken as inspite of a truce between @DrPramodPSawant & @visrane brokered by Centre, 13 have reportedly died last night due to ‘logistical issues’ @GoaGmc during the critical ‘dark hours’ (1-6AM)!We need action not just another committee of enquiry
— Vijai Sardesai (@VijaiSardesai) May 14, 2021
The disparity between the availability of medical oxygen and its supply to the hospital’s Covid-19 wards, according to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, may have caused some issues for the patients. He, on the other hand, said that there was no oxygen shortage.
Sawant’s argument ran counter to state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane’s admission on Monday that the hospital was running out of oxygen.
In a letter to the Centre, state Principal Secretary PK Goel said the state only received 66.74 metric tonnes of oxygen from Maharashtra’s Kolhapur city between May 1 and 10, despite being allocated 110 metric tonnes.
According to Goel’s message, “it is an earnest request that we be given 22 MT [metric tonnes] per day, instead of 11 MT, for at least a week to make up for the shortfall.”
Goa has formed a panel to investigate the issue of oxygen supply
According to ANI, the state government formed a committee on Thursday to investigate the hospital’s oxygen supply issue.
The three-member committee would determine if the oxygen supplied to the medical facility was sufficient, as well as the supply chain’s quality. The panel would also look at how oxygen was delivered in the hospital and make suggestions for how it could be improved. It was also charged with making proposals for improving the medical facility’s oxygen supply chain.
The government issued an order requiring the committee to conclude its investigation within three days. The order also instructed Health Secretary Ravi Dhawan to assist the committee in completing the investigation on time.
Goa: A three-member committee has been formed to inquire into the oxygen supply issue at Goa Medical College & Hospital pic.twitter.com/qvgUTI0OHY
— ANI (@ANI) May 13, 2021
Patients must not be able to die as a result of “logistical issues,” according to HC
Meanwhile, according to India Today, the Bombay High Court’s Goa Bench has taken up many petitions about the pandemic’s handling.
The bench said on Thursday that it had been told that some patients might have died as a result of “logistical problems.” Coronavirus patients cannot be allowed to die due to logistical issues, according to the court.
We expect the state government to find ways and means to address these logistical challenges so that no precious life is lost due to oxygen shortages for patients, according to the court.
Despite the hospital’s order to give medical oxygen to coronavirus patients, the bench found that 15 people died during the night.
The High Court ruled that the federal government must ensure that the state receives its allocated quota of medical oxygen, citing the state’s 48.1 percent positivity rate as one of the highest in the world.
The court also ordered the hospital and state officials to submit a status report by Friday at 7 p.m. This will require the provision of tanks, concentrators, and drivers, as well as the supply of oxygen.
In response to an increase in cases, the Goa government approved the use of the anti-parasitic medication ivermectin as a preventive treatment for all adults on Monday, according to the state’s Health Minister Vishwajit Rane. The World Health Organization, the US Food and Drug Administration, and even the drug’s manufacturer have all advised against its use.
