Make GMC O2 crisis report public: AAP

THE GOAN NETWORK | OCTOBER 19, 2021, 12:20 AM IST

PANAJI

The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday slammed the State government, Health Minister and also the GMC Dean after a report by a three-member committee headed by IIT Goa Director BK Mishra came out in the media that squarely blamed them for the man-made oxygen crisis in Goa during the second wave.

In a press release, AAP stated that the report made it very clear that the GMC authorities did not raise the issue of oxygen shortage in a timely manner, and even ignored GARD's warnings on the same. Due to this negligence, many Goans lost their lives during the dark hours between 2 am to 4 am.

AAP has demanded the resignation of the CM, Health Minister and the GMC Dean and also want the report in the public domain.

GMC failed to act on the shortage on time creating a cascading effect that caused a massive shortage of Oxygen in the state. The entire responsibility rests on Chief Minister, Health Minister and the GMC Dean. The Goa Association Resident Doctors (GARD) in May 2020 had written a letter to the GMC Dean informing about the shortage of oxygen. In 19 days of May 2020, 1,000 people lost their lives due to Covid and it could have been averted if the government had acted upon the memorandum submitted by GARD on May 1, 2020. But no action was taken. Authorities refused to study and anticipate oxygen needs and anticipate Covid patients' need of oxygen. The government could have made a provision of oxygen, but the government was totally negligent and the GMC Dean as well failed his duty, states AAP in the release.

The government had brought a single supplier M/S Scoop to supply oxygen all over Goa who then stopped providing oxygen to all hospitals apart from GMC causing a severe shortage. Why was a single supplier only shortlisted for the entire state's infrastructure? questions AAP.

The government even then failed to react and fix things. Unfortunately, the government took it for granted and Goans paid with their lives. Goans were left to deal with this crisis by themselves on their own devices. It was during these Dark Hours of GMC from 2-4 am, that alert citizens, sent SOS messages, only after that, things started moving. Many Goans, a lot of them old people, passed away due to the shortage of oxygen, the release added. 

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