The Yogi did not ruled out ‘ commission’ dispute between the officials and the supplier for delay in the payment of dues to the supplier leading to oxygen shortage at the Gorakhpur BRD medical college hospital.
“I do not deny that payment of commission could be the reason behind the snapping of oxygen at the Gorakhpur hospital. The probe is underway under the chairmanship of chief secretary Rajiv Kumar and it would be detected very soon,” said state health minister Sidharthnath Singh in Allahabad on Monday.
“The nexus between the supplier and buyer is being investigated in the case and anyone found guilty would not be spared. We have already suspended the principal of the hospital finding him prima facie guilty in the controversy,” he said.
The supplier had snapped the supply of oxygen on August 10 after the medical college did not pay over Rs 68 lakh dues of the company. As per the information the medical college had Rs 1.86 crore in its account and Rs 2 crores were sent to the hospital on August 4 but the payment was made only on August 11 after the children died when there was no oxygen supplied for two hours in which around 33 children died.
The health minister, who is also the spokesperson of the Yogi government clarified that he had mentioned the death of children in the past during the month of August by comparing it this year just to aware the media about the situation. “ I had no bad intention or tried to save the government by mentioning the death of the children. We cannot run away even from one death,” he stated.
On Saturday, Singh during his interaction with the media had said that during 2014 to 2016 every year in the month of August, the death average of children at the BRD medical college was between 22 to 19 per day but in this August in the first 11 days it was just around 10 per day.
The statement had irked the opposition and BSP president Mayawati and SP president Akhilesh Yadav had condemned it .
However, the health minister continued to rant his statement that not a single child died due to shortage of oxygen. “ Our government is committed to eradicate encephalitis in coming years and for this all steps would be taken,” he announced.