Children die a painful death at Gorakhpur due to lack of oxygen and officials negligence.

The Gorakhpur’s Tragedy

In a shocking incident, 23 infants died in a span of 24 hours last week at the  Baba Raghav Das Medical College hospital after its liquid oxygen supply was cut since they failed to pay dues to the supplier. Although it was clear that the children died due to lack of oxygen supply, the government has dismissed the allegation that 30 children died to to less oxygen supply on August 10th and August 11th.

HC Seeks Government’s Response

Five PILs have been filed so far. The Allahabad court on Friday directed the UP government to explain and present before it the findings of the government’s probe. A division bench of Chief Justice D.B. Bhosale and justice Yashwanth Varma directed the U.P government to file a counter affidavit stating what it had done and found in matter so far. The court fixed the next hearing for August 28.

Why it Happened?

The documents that were presented to the high court clearly showed that, Pushpa Sales, the whole supplier of liquid oxygen to the hospital, had been writing letters to the officials, saying that the supply would be disrupted if they did not clear their dues of Rs. 68 lakhs. The firm had written the letters on August 1st and August 8th. But there was no response from the officials which shows their clear negligence and their lack of responsibility towards the patients in the hospital. However, the hospital authorities made a partial payment of Rs. 21 lakhs against the accumulated dues only on late Friday, after the death of 23 children.  

Government’s Response

The UP government suspended the principal of the medical college on Saturday. Pushpa Sales and at least half-a-dozen hospital doctors could be booked in an FIR by next week.

Rise in Death Toll

While 30 deaths took place on August 10-11 in BRD hospital , 34 more deaths took place on August 14-15 when oxygen supply was full. This raises more doubts on why so many deaths are occurring in the hospital,  and the low facilities the hospital is providing to the patients.

Crisis for UP’s Government

The deaths are the first big crisis for Adityanath, who took charge less than six months ago. He visited the facility and inspected the hospital two days before the night the most infants died. In a press conference on Saturday evening, he blamed the medical college principal for not looking into the issue and raising it in the meetings held and also said that the role of other officials and oxygen supplier would be looked into. The UP’s health minister JP Nadda also inspected the hospital and said that actions will be taken across whoever responsible.

Conclusion

The death toll is increasing day by day and the reports show that many patients have died in the past few years due to various reasons in the hospital. Such acts should be seriously condemned and all such hospitals, that offer low facilities and do not promote the health of their patients, must be shut down.