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Photo for representational purpose only
THE uproar caused by the Union Government’s recent statement in the Rajya Sabha, claiming that no deaths due to lack of oxygen were reported by states and union territories during the second Covid-19 wave, has prompted a much-needed reassessment of the contentious issue. The Centre has finally sought data from states and UTs on fatalities linked to oxygen shortage, particularly during April-May, when the second wave peaked and inflicted maximum damage in terms of lives lost. The demand for medical oxygen in the country had shot up to nearly 9,000 metric tonnes (MT) daily in the second wave, almost three times the peak requirement of 3,095 MT during the first one. The havoc wreaked by the paucity of the life-saving gas had been widely reported in the media. Several hospitals across the country had come under scrutiny, including New Delhi’s Jaipur Golden Hospital for severe shortage of oxygen and Agra’s Paras Hospital for negligence. In the Jaipur Golden case, the Delhi Government had told the High Court, merely on the basis of a ‘preliminary’ probe report, that it was not certain whether oxygen shortage had led to the death of 21 Covid patients at the hospital.