Ruia deaths: NHRC seeks report from Health Department

Tirupati: Responding to the two complaints on the death of 11 Covid patientsdue to non-availability of oxygen in government SVRR (Ruia) general hospital here, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) called for a report within four weeks from the principal secretary, department of health and family welfare, Government of Andhra Pradesh.

The commission in its order said that it has taken the issue of health care of Covid patients very seriously and the allegations if true raise serious issues of human rights violations.

The commission has also issued an advisory on the subject after transmitting the complaint to the principal secretary for submitting a report.

It may be recalled that senior Congress leader and former Union minister Dr Chinta Mohan on Friday petitioned the NHRC to probe the Covid patients deaths that occurred due to lack of oxygen in SVRR government hospital ICU and other wards (on May 10) and alleged that about 30 died in the incident which is a serious human rights violation and injustice to the poor.

He requested the NHRC to register a case into the deaths in SVRR and investigate.

Another person, Jestadi Sudhakar of All India Council of Human Rights, Liberties, Social Justice, also on May 10 filed a complaint with NHRC, requesting the commission to intervene in the issue of the death of Covid patients due to non-availability of oxygen supply in SVRR hospital.