Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has ordered a high-level probe into the entire incident while also announcing relief of Rs.5 lakh for the next of kin of each of the deceased patients over the leakage of oxygen at a municipal hospital in Nashik that claimed the lives of 24 people.
“While the incident has shocked everyone, it was also an eye-opener for the state administration about the need to tread cautiously at every phase of the battle with COVID-19. For over a year now we have been facing up to the COVID-19, wave after wave. The loss of lives due to carelessness is very annoying in the wake of the fact that all available doctors and medical personnel have been working tirelessly night and day to save the lives of patients. It is not merely enough to express mourning and consoling the relatives of the patients. The state administration will need to burn the midnight lamp, treading very cautiously to ensure such an incident, that could deplete the entire morale of the health system, is not repeated in the future,” Thackeray said.
“There is no need here to emphasize the importance of oxygen in combating the current wave of the Coronavirus. We are working day and night to ensure the supply of this life-sustaining. We have issued instructions at almost every meeting that there should be no leakages in the oxygen supply despite which this incident has occurred. I have instructed the Maharashtra Chief Secretary (Sitaram Kunte) to probe the entire incident and affix due to responsibility on those found guilty of carelessness,” the Chief Minister said.
Thackeray also instructed that careful handling of the oxygen stocks and its rational and proper usage protocols henceforth and emphasized that the shortfall in oxygen supply to patients should be immediately resolved.
On Wednesday, in a tragic incident at least 24 patients who were on life support have lost their lives in Nashik’s Dr Zakir Hussain Hospital owing to an acute shortage of oxygen tankers.
