A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking an independent judicial enquiry into the oxygen leak incident in a Nashik hospital that killed 22 patients.
The PIL petition filed by NGO ‘Save Them India Foundation’ has sought setting up a three-member commission under the chairmanship of a retired Supreme Court judge to probe the incident.
The plea, filed through advocate Vishal Tiwari, has also sought directions to initiate policies and guidelines for the channelised, administered distribution of medical equipment and to set up a technical committee for the monitoring of medical equipment crisis.
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Twenty-two COVID-19 patients, who were either on ventilator or oxygen support, suffocated to death on Wednesday when their oxygen supply stopped suddenly because of a malfunction in the main storage at a civic-run hospital at Nashik in Maharashtra.
The incident occurred in the afternoon at Dr. Zakir Husain Hospital in the Dwarka area of the city.
“The country is witnessing deficiency pertaining to the medical equipment along with failed distribution policy leading to greater consequences and on the other hand, negligent action of the hospital authorities leading to leakage of oxygen and death of COVID-19 patients.
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“Such a situation has led to the violation of fundamental rights of the citizens of this country prima facie the right to health care, right to life enshrined under Article 21,” the plea said.
The petition has also sought registration of an FIR in the matter under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 304A (causing death by negligence).