Goa Medical College: Oxygen supply streamlining, says Health minister; Toll reaches 83

Panaji, May 16: The oxygen supply at the Goa Medical College and Hospital was getting streamlined following commissioning of a new tank of the life-saving gas at the facility, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Sunday.

Over last five days (till Saturday morning), 83 patients died at the state-run medical facility during the "dark hours" between 2 am and 6 am, as per official figures.

A 20,000 kilo litre oxygen tank was commissioned at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on Saturday.

Rane told PTI that the oxygen supply at the GMCH was getting streamlined after commissioning of the tank.

"Now, we should not have problems regarding the oxygen supply. The commissioning of the tank is a major step towards solving this problem," he said.

The tank was shifted from Bicholim industrial estate and the move would reduce the GMCH''s dependence on oxygen cylinders, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Saturday.

On Saturday, GMCH Dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar said it was not right to attribute all the deaths during the "dark hours" over the last few days to drop in oxygen levels as COVID-19 fatalities were taking place throughout the day.

"There can be several reasons," he had said.

The Goa government earlier told the Bombay High Court that there were "logistic issues" related to supply of medical oxygen to patients.

The HC''s Goa bench had asked the state government to take corrective steps.