The Sordid State of Affairs

The death of 30 kids undergoing treatment in Gorakhpur medical college hospital, due to disconnection of oxygen supply, highlights the sordid state of affairs prevailing in our public health care system. The deaths took place within a span of 48 hours and the hospital administration is now busy in an elaborate cover-up. The deaths occurred three days after the Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited the hospital to supervise all arrangements. The oxygen supplying company had threatened to discontinue supply of oxygen due to non-payment of dues, and the hospital authorities were assuring the district administration that they had an alternate mechanism in place. Naturally, the deaths will now be investigated into, the company will say it did not get its dues in time, the hospital staff will say that it had already alerted the authorities about the dangerously low level of oxygen, the district administration will say that it had been assured by hospital authorities that adequate alternative mechanism was in place, and the doctors will say that such deaths are normal occurences and were not due to lack of oxygen. In all, every stakeholder will have an alibi in place. The fact remains that the criminal negligence behind the abrupt discontinuation of oxygen supply is unpardonable. Will the lives of 30 kids be restored if the company gets its dues now?Time has come to consider all aspects of this incident and the government should ensure that such crass negligence never takes place in future.

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