New Delhi
Chhattisgarh health minister TS Singh Deo has said that his state has a surplus of oxygen and no deaths were reported in the state due to oxygen shortage during the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic. Deo made the remarks on Tuesday, after the Centre informed the Rajya Sabha that no deaths due to lack of oxygen has been specifically reported by states/Union territories.
"It is true that no patient died due to the lack of oxygen in Chhattisgarh. Our state is an oxygen-surplus state. There could have been some issues regarding management, otherwise, there is no death due to lack of oxygen," Deo told news agency ANI. He accused the Centre of taking credit for all good things and blaming the states for all bad things.
"At least they (Central government) admitted that health is a state subject. Otherwise, it appeared as if they are taking everything under their control. They take credit for all good things and blame states for everything that is bad," said Deo.
Apart from Deo, Tamil Nadu health secretary J Radhakrishna also said on Tuesday that the state government ensured adequate availability of oxygen in both government and private hospitals and there was no death due to lack of the life-saving gas.
He further mentioned that a dedicated team looked after the state's oxygen supplies.
Madhya Pradesh and Bihar too have accepted the fact that no deaths were reported due to shortage of oxygen.
"No deaths took place due to lack of oxygen in our state. Union health minister stated the same in Rajya Sabha. Even in Tamil Nadu, the health minister voiced the same opinion," said Vishwas Sarang, the medical education minister of Madhya Pradesh.
In Bihar, state health minister Mangal Pandey said the government made arrangements while fighting pressures. "We received the Centre's support and oxygen allocation was increased. We facilitated oxygen in all hospitals," Pandey told ANI.
