No deaths occurred due to oxygen shortage at Jaipur Golden Hospital, Delhi Police tells Local Court

The Delhi Police have told the Rohini Court on Tuesday that the committee, constituted by the Delhi Government, has opined that the deaths were due to natural reasons and could not be attributed to the shortage of oxygen in Jaipur Golden Hospital in Delhi. The reply was filed by the police in the court in response to a plea seeking registration of an FIR against the hospital management.

Replying in the court on the reports of the committee which was constituted by the Delhi Government, the Delhi police said that they were not in a position to comment upon or refute the conclusion drawn by the said committee, based on their expert opinion and analysis. The reports opined that the deaths were due to natural reasons and could not be attributed to the shortage of oxygen in JG Hospital.

"During the inquiry, the CCTVs footage intervening night of April 23 and April 24, this year, the death summaries of deceased persons, who expired on the intervening night of April 23, including Tanuja Vidyarthi were obtained from Jaipur Golden Hospital. On scrutiny of death summaries of all deceased persons, it revealed that no death of any patient caused due to shortage of oxygen," read the status report filed by Delhi Police citing death summaries of the decreased.

"The Medical Director of JGH also stated that a committee of four doctors was constituted by GNCT, Delhi, to ascertain the cause of deaths of patients intervening night of 23/24.4.2021 and the committee has opined that the deaths were due to natural reasons and could not be attributed to the shortage of oxygen. They were not in a position to comment upon or refute the conclusion drawn by the said committee, based on their expert opinion and analysis, " the police said in its report in the matter relating to the Jaipur Golden Hospital oxygen crisis.

"After initial scrutiny of patient's death-related reasoning, prima facie at that moment, it appeared that in four cases there was a drop of oxygen pressure around 9:45 PM on 23/04/2021, which is an unusual occurrence in such numbers. However, it is also a fact that these patients were on the ventilator (NIV)," the report said.

Advocates Sahil Ahuja and Siddhant Sethi, appearing for the petitioners have submitted that the police, with malafide intention, have neither arrested nor set up an inquiry against the hospital management.

The report was filed in a petition seeking lodging of an FIR relating to deaths that occurred in Jaipur Golden Hospital allegedly due to oxygen shortage.

"Keeping everyone in dark and thereby not providing the proper oxygen support which led to the death is an act of culpable homicide on their part all whilst the accused hospital minted money and raised invoices, they should be booked under appropriate provisions of law," the petitioners stated.

On the intervening night of April 23/24 due to alleged failure to provide Oxygen by the hospital management of Jaipur Golden Hospital, various members of petitioners lost lives due to COVID-19 infections.

( With inputs from ANI )