NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has formed a six-member committee to assess cases of Covid-19 patients who died due to lack of oxygen recently in the national capital for grant of compensation. According to an official order issued on Thursday, the committee will check whether the oxygen was being used properly at the hospital as per the norms.
Earlier this month, 12 patients at Delhi’s Batra Hospital, including a senior doctor, died due to shortage of oxygen. Last month, 21 Covid patients had died at the Jaipur Golden Hospital. However, the Delhi government had noted they succumbed owing to comorbidity and not lack of oxygen.
“A committee is hereby constituted to assess on case to case basis, complaints and/or representations received regarding death due to lack of oxygen, for grant of ex-gratia compensation over and above the no-fault ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 already ordered by the government,” the order said.
The committee members are— Dr Naresh Kumar, Director-Professor (Medicine), LNJP and MAMC, Dr Amit Kohli, senior anesthetist, LNJP, Dr Sanjeev Kumar, specialist, anesthesia, Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, Surender Kumar from DGHS (HQ), Dr A C Shukla, medical superintendent, Mata Chanan Devi Hospital, Janak Puri and Dr J P Singh, medical superintendent, Tirath Ram Hospital in Civil Lines.
The committee shall receive all complaints and representations in the online as well as offline mode. “The committee would meet at least twice a week either physically or through VC at a fixed time. The committee will be empowered to seek any documents from the concerned hospitals, including records of oxygen supply, storage and stock position,” the order said.