Claim of 'no deaths due to lack of oxygen' very unfortunate and sad: Mayawati

Lucknow: BSP president Mayawati on Thursday said the claim of "no deaths due to lack of oxygen" during the COVID-19 second wave was very unfortunate and sad, and added that such statements were creating a distrust among people of the government's ability to tackle any future wave.

In a series of tweets, the BSP leader said, "Due to lack of oxygen, especially in the second wave of corona, there were panic and deaths in India. To deal with it, the central government even had to take foreign help and this is not hidden from anyone. Yet it is very unfortunate and sad to claim that there have been no deaths due to lack of oxygen."

"Such false statements are also creating a distrust of the Centre among the people as to what will happen if the third wave of corona strikes. The priority of the central and state governments should be 100 per cent towards the people and less towards political and government interests."

On Tuesday, responding to a question on whether a large number of COVID-19 patients died on roads and in hospitals due to acute shortage of oxygen in the second wave, Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar in a written reply in Rajya Sabha had said that health is a state subject and states and union territories regularly report the number of cases and deaths to the Centre.

"Detailed guidelines for reporting of deaths have been issued by the Union Health Ministry to all states and UTs. Accordingly, all states and UTs report cases and deaths to the Union Health Ministry on a regular basis. However, no deaths due to lack of oxygen have been specifically reported by states and UTs," Pawar had stated.