Goa: PIL seeks panel to probe deaths due to O2 shortage

The bench has been hearing petitions about shortcomings of the Goa government's efforts to contain the pandemic for over a month

A group of petitioners has requested the Bombay High Court bench in Goa to set up a judicial commission to probe the deaths of nearly 100 Covid patients who died in May due to oxygen shortage.

The bench has been hearing petitions from this group over shortcomings of the Goa government's efforts to contain the pandemic for over a month.

The petitioners, headed by the South Goa Advocates Association, have also demanded an audit of Covid-related deaths in the state. Nearly 3,000 persons have died in Goa due to Covid-related complications, according to official figures by the state government.

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"Persons admitted in government hospitals have lost their lives only due to inadequate supply of oxygen. Some of these victims were the sole breadwinners of the family, some children have lost both their parents, etc. These victims need to be identified and their dependents/kin have to be adequately compensated depending upon their situation," the petitioners have said, adding that the Commission of Inquiry should be headed by a retired High Court judge and assisted by independent medical professionals and police personnel.

"The Commission should not only trace the victims and the dependents but also determine the quantum of compensation to be individually paid to the dependants. The Commission be also tasked with identifying government officials, if any, who have acted in a negligent manner which has resulted in an inadequate supply of oxygen," the petitioners added.

In May alone, 100 persons have died at the Goa Medical College, the state's apex government medical facility, due to lack of oxygen. After initially conceding that the deaths occurred due to oxygen shortage (confirmed to the media by the Health Minister), the hospital administration and state Health Secretary Ravi Dhawan have denied that the deaths could be linked to oxygen shortage.

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The petition has also urged the High Court to conduct a complete audit of the nearly 3,000 Covid deaths in the state, since the onset of the pandemic.

"The state government should set up a committee comprising of professionals like doctors and statisticians to carry out a complete audit of the Covid-19 deaths in the state of Goa. Under-reporting of deaths during the pandemic has been a global phenomenon occurring due to human error under the enormous pressure exerted on the system by the pandemic," the petitioners have requested.

"Such an audit will not only reveal the exact number of Covid-19 deaths but also help concerned authorities to save lives during the impending third wave of Covid-19," they added. The requests by the petitioners have been made after the Bombay High Court on June 11 directed them to make a list of issues related to Covid management that required judicial intervention.