Not a single patient died due to O2 shortage at top Goa hospital: Minister

Panaji: Not a single Covid patient died in Goa's apex health facility, the Goa Medical College, due to non-supply of oxygen, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane told the state legislative assembly on Friday.

"At no point in time, the Oxygen supplies at GMC ran out of stock and thus, no death has been reported to have (been) caused due to non supply of Oxygen," Rane said in a written reply to a question from Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat.

Rane's reply to the state assembly is incidentally in stark contrast to his comment to media persons on May 11, when he claimed that 26 persons died within 24 hours at the Goa Medical College due to oxygen shortage.

Rane had said that between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. on May 11, a total of 26 persons had lost their lives because the hospital had not received adequate supply of oxygen. Rane, during the same media briefing, had also urged the Bombay High Court to probe the issue of mismanagement and oxygen shortage at the apex facility stating that while the hospital required 1,200 jumbo oxygen cylinders, only 400 were supplied to it.

Nearly 90 persons died due to oxygen shortage at the Goa Medical College, when the second Covid wave was at its peak in the month of May this year.