A video of a private hospital owner in India's Agra district allegedly admitting to cutting the oxygen supply to critical patients has gone viral on social media, prompting Uttar Pradesh state government officials to investigate.
In the video, the owner of Paras Hospital Dr. Arinjay Jain is apparently telling some people that the oxygen supply was cut for five minutes as part of a "mock drill" on 26 April.
"Then I decided to try something like a mock drill and asked the staff to identify those whose oxygen supply can be cut. That way, we will get to know who will die and who'll survive. The mock drill happened at 7 am, no one knows about this," the person who is believed to be Dr. Jain said in the video.
#Agra : @myogioffice ji who is responsible for 22 #deaths?
— Mohammad Sartaj Alam (@SartajAlamIndia) June 7, 2021
Paras Hospital owner Dr Jain says that to deal with the increasing number of patients and oxygen shortage, he did a 5-minute oxygen mock drill. In such a situation, 22 patients out of 96 with serious condition died. pic.twitter.com/T1FqLKWxE5
"Twenty-two patients started gasping for breath and their bodies began turning blue. We came to know that they will not survive," he said, adding: "Seventy-four others who survived in the ICU ward were told to bring their own oxygen cylinders."
"We are investigating the matter. 22 patients didn't die that day. The Additional District Magistrate (City) is looking into the matter. I can't say anything right now. We will decide only after our investigation is over and we will take stringent action against the guilty," Singh told Sputnik on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, two key politicians from India's main opposition party Congress, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Tuesday slammed the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh state government over the incident.
Gandhi also tweeted the scandalous video:
PM: “मैंने ऑक्सीजन की कमी नहीं होने दी”
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) June 8, 2021
CM: "ऑक्सीजन की कोई कमी नहीं। कमी की अफवाह फैलाने वालों की संपत्ति जब्त होगी।"
मंत्री: “मरीजों को जरूरत भर ऑक्सीजन दें। ज्यादा ऑक्सीजन न दें।”
आगरा अस्पताल: "ऑक्सीजन खत्म थी। 22 मरीजों की ऑक्सीजन बंद करके मॉकड्रिल की।"
ज़िम्मेदार कौन? pic.twitter.com/DbiqtILE27
“There is a severe shortage of both oxygen and humanity under the BJP rule. Action should be taken immediately against all those responsible for this dangerous crime,” Gandhi posted on Twitter. “My condolences to the families of the deceased in this hour of grief."
भाजपा शासन में ऑक्सीजन व मानवता दोनों की भारी कमी है।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 8, 2021
इस ख़तरनाक अपराध के ज़िम्मेदार सभी लोगों के ख़िलाफ़ तुरंत कार्यवाही होनी चाहिए।
दुख की इस घड़ी में मृतकों के परिवारजनों को मेरी संवेदनाएँ। pic.twitter.com/CYoBB0mJWe
