In a meeting with the health ministers of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Maharashtra, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya asked them to keep the oxygen infrastructure functional and running, according to reports.
During the winter parliament session, on daily Covid-19 briefing, health ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal stated that just one state reported a suspected death owing to a lack of medical oxygen during the second wave of Covid-19. The Centre requested statistics on mortality caused by a lack of oxygen from all states and union territories, but only 13 states and union territories responded. After the problem was highlighted in Parliament, the government launched an investigation.
“States were particularly asked this question when the issue was raised in Parliament, only one state cited possible fatality, and no state has so far said that there were deaths due to oxygen shortage,” Agarwal added.
However, the second wave in India revealed that many hospitals were running short of oxygen and that people were going without. People had to stand in long queues to get oxygen for their dear ones. Many people were observed gasping for breath, and many others died as a result.
