Gorakhpur deaths: Inquiry blames pvt firm for disrupting oxygen supply

An inquiry by the Gorakhpur district administration has held the Lucknowbased oxygen supply responsible for disrupting supplied to the Baba Raghav Das Medical College. The inquiry, into the supply of oxygen to the hospital on August 10 when 23 children died has uncovered several anamolies. The inquiry panel said Dr Satish Kumar, the Head of Department (HoD) of Anaesthesia, was “prima facie guilty of not discharging his duties”. The report also named Gajanan Jaiswal, the chief pharmacist and Dr Rajiv Mishra, principal of the medical college.

“The Lucknow-based oxygen supplier Pushpa Sale Pvt Ltd had disrupted oxygen supply for which it is responsible. It should not have done keeping in mind its life-saving job,” the committee found.

Investigators found Dr Satish, was absent from the Medical College on August 11 without any written permission.” The committee also said it was the job of Dr Satish and chief pharmacist Gajanan Jaiswal to maintain the stock book and log book of incoming and outgoing oxygen cylinders. However, these “were not maintained, and overwriting was done”.

“In-charge of logbook Dr Satish did not sign the logbook, which shows that this issue was not taken up seriously either by him or by the principal,” the committee added.

“Despite repeated requests being made by the firm supplying liquid oxygen and availability of budget on August 5, and not informing the principal in time and not presenting the bills, three persons including two from accounts section have been found prima facie guilty,” the committee said.

Although the report confines itself to the events on August 10, the hospital has been in the spotlight for the deaths of 30 children in a span of 48 hours.