New Delhi: It is difficult to ascertain without a probe if there were any oxygen-related deaths during the second Covid wave, and the Delhi government is seeking fresh approval from the L-G to form an expert panel for it, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in a letter on Thursday.
It's "unfortunate" that the Centre through the Lt Governor rejected Delhi government's medical expert committee to probe the deaths and prepare a report so that the affected families could be given a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each, Sisodia said at a press briefing.
"We are sending the file again to the Delhi L-G for approval. We will carry out the probe with full responsibility and even punish those who were guilty," he said urging Mandaviya to inform the L-G for not rejecting the committee.
In his letter, Sisodia said shortage of oxygen during the second wave need to be accepted. It will be "premature" to say there were no deaths due to shortage of oxygen that could be only be ascertained through a probe, he said.
"Saying that there were no deaths due to oxygen shortage in Delhi merely on the basis of some figures of the government file will not only be wrong but also be like adding salt to the wounds of those who lost their near ones during oxygen crisis," Sisodia wrote in the letter.
He said media reports had "claimed" some deaths due to oxygen shortage at Jaipur Golden, Batra and Gangaram hospitals in Delhi. Delhi has recorded over 25,000 fatalities due to the infection, he said, adding it will have to be probed how many of these were linked to the oxygen crisis during April and May. "We cannot say that there was no oxygen crisis. The families of patients, hospitals were sending out SOS messages for help at that time," he said.
The Delhi government had in June formed a four-member expert committee to look into the deaths due to the shortage of oxygen during the second wave of COVID. The committee was previously rejected by the L-G. If the central government wants the correct number of deaths due to lack of oxygen in Delhi, then the committee constituted by the Delhi government should be approved, he said.
"The central government, adopting a very irresponsible and insensitive attitude, refused to accept that there were any deaths due to lack of oxygen in the country but has now started asking for data from the states after being rebuked by the court," he stated.
Sisodia said it was a "petty debate" whether the Delhi government received any communication from the Centre seeking data on deaths due to oxygen shortage and he will not get into it.