AHMEDABAD: No coronavirus patient died in Gujarat on account of shortage of medical oxygen during the second wave of the pandemic, chief minister Vijay Rupani claimed on Wednesday. The Union government told the Rajya Sabha the day before that no deaths due to lack of oxygen were "specifically reported" by the states and Union Territories during the second wave this year.
"Not a single coronavirus patient died due to lack of oxygen in Gujarat. Hospitals in the state treated over 8.5 lakh patients during the second wave. Of these, 8.25 lakh patients went home after recovering," the chief minister told reporters in Junagadh when asked about the controversy.
"We had designated several hospitals to treat Covid-19 patients. Not a single hospital reported any death due to shortage of oxygen. We had made adequate arrangements for oxygen supply. Opposition parties are misleading people with false allegations," Rupani added.
On Tuesday, the Congress had accused Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar of misleading Parliament by giving "false information" that there were no deaths due to oxygen shortage. Earlier in the day, health ministers of neighbouring Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra too denied that any patient died in their states on account of oxygen supply at hospitals running out.
