Haryana to set up panel to probe deaths due oxygen shortage

CHANDIGARH: Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday told the state assembly that his government will set up a committee to probe possible negligence by hospitals in treating Covid patients. The statement was made by Khattar during zero hour of the ongoing assembly session, after main opposition party Congress tried to corner him for “misleading” the House with his statement that no death in the state was reported due to the shortage of oxygen during the second wave of Covid-19. Leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda also read out the TOI report, regarding a probe carried out by Hisar district administration, confirming that five people died in a private hospital in Hisar because of shortage of oxygen.
However, Khattar informed the House that he would make a formal statement on the issue on Tuesday. He also tried to avoid any discussion on the issue during zero hour by referring to some rules of legislative assembly. Even speaker Gian Chand Gupta told Hooda that the CM was not bound to respond to any question asked during zero hour.

“You have misled the House, the soul of those died due to shortage of oxygen in the state would not forgive the government for such stance,” Hooda said in the House asking the CM to take his statement back. He also requested the CM to set up a high level committee to probe the incidents of deaths in the state due to shortage of oxygen.
After heated arguments, the CM reiterated his previous stance, claiming that no death was reported in the state due to shortage of oxygen. He said some irregularities were reported in some hospitals of Hisar, Rewari and Gurugram districts and a magisterial inquiry was conducted for all such complaints. In two reports pertaining to Rewari and Gurugram hospitals, it was stated that no death was reported due to lack of oxygen. In case of Hisar district, the matter of negligence of Soni hospital was highlighted and the said report has been sent to the SP for necessary action, Khattar said, but denied shortage of oxygen in Hisar district during the second wave.
However, Hooda continued to target CM and referred to the concluding part of a report by the Hisar administration, confirming that apparently cause of deaths of patients at Soni Burn hospital in Hisar was shortage of oxygen. To this, Khattar read out another report that indicted the hospital owner for his failure to arrange adequate oxygen despite knowing that patients were on ventilator.
As the opposition continued the demand for probe regarding deaths during Covid, CM announced that a committee would be formed to investigate complaints received against hospitals about negligence in giving required treatment during the pandemic. He also informed that around 13,000 people died due to Covid-19 in hospitals across the state. Of these, about 9,500 were residents of Haryana, while about 3,500 patients were from other states.