No Deaths Due to Lack of Oxygen in UP: Is Govt Hiding Data or Its Own Failure?

The UP health minister recently said that no death was reported due to a lack of oxygen in the second wave of COVID.

The state Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh gave a written reply that no death has been reported due to lack of oxygen.

(Photo: The Quint)

Translation: Aparna Singh

Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma

How many deaths due to shortage of oxygen during COVID-19?

"Not Known": Central government

How many labourers died due to migration?

"Not Known": Central government

"No data on farmers' deaths during protests": Central government

And the newest claim is: "No person died due to lack of oxygen in the second wave of coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh."

At a three-day winter session of Uttar Pradesh's legislature, Congress MLC Deepak Singh sought information about the deaths due to the lack of oxygen. The state Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh gave a written reply saying that no death has been reported due to the lack of oxygen.

The health minister of Uttar Pradesh said that when upon the death of a hospitalised patient, the death certificate is filled by the doctor, there is no mention of death due to lack of oxygen anywhere on it.

This is exemplified by the death certificates of the 22,915 patients who have died due to COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh so far.

Even the central government does not have the data on those who died due to the lack of oxygen. Recently, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Lok Sabha that only in Punjab four people had died due to a shortage of oxygen during the second wave of COVID-19.

Earlier in July, the Modi government had said it had no such data available.

After the suffering the whole nation went through during the second wave, to have the government show no accountability at all, forces one to ask, 'Janab, Aise Kaise?'