A day after a Supreme Court-appointed panel, in its interim report, claimed that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government “exaggerated” their oxygen demand by four times during the second wave of COVID-19, AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria, who headed the panel, tried to downplay the controversy.
In an interview with NDTV, Guleria said, “Delhi oxygen audit is an interim report, we should wait for the final report and focus on how to avoid such crisis in the future.”
On being asked whether he stands by the interim report’s claim of Delhi exaggerating its oxygen demand by four times, Dr Guleria said, “Don’t think we can say that. It was a demand-and-supply issue.”
He also said, “The matter is in the Supreme Court. We need to wait and see what the top court says. Undercounting of active cases and other factors need to be considered.”
‘Let’s Get Down to Work’: Kejriwal Tweets After AIIMS Chief’s Interview
Responding to Dr Guleria’s new statement, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “If you’re done fighting, let’s get down to some work?”
He added, “Let’s make such a system together where no one lacks oxygen in the third wave. In the second wave, people faced a severe shortage. Now, this should not happen in the third wave.”
“If we fight amongst ourselves, coronavirus will win. If we fight together, the country will win.”CM Arvind Kejriwal
Earlier, reacting to the audit panel’s report on 25 June, CM Kejriwal had said that his crime was fighting for the breath of Delhi's populace.
"My crime – I fought for the breath of my 2 crore people. When you were organising election rallies, I was awake all night arranging oxygen. I fought, pleaded to get people oxygen. People have lost their loved ones due to the lack of oxygen. Don't call them liars," the CM wrote on Twitter.
What the Panel’s Interim Report Said
A report submitted by the oxygen audit sub-group said: "There is a gross discrepancy (about 4 times) in that the actual oxygen consumption (1,140MT) was about 4 times higher than the versus calculated consumption formula for bed capacity."
The report added that four hospitals in Delhi – Singhal Hospital, Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital, Model Hospital, and Liferay Hospital – have claimed extremely high oxygen consumption with very few beds and the claims appeared to be clearly erroneous, leading to extremely skewed information and significantly higher oxygen requirement for entire Delhi.
Following "recalculation", the panel contended the actual consumption of 183 hospitals according to Delhi government data was 1,140MT, however, after correcting erroneous reporting by four hospitals, the figure was found at 209 MT.
The interim report by the panel pointed out that the Delhi government claimed its formula for oxygen demand was based on ICMR guidelines but no such guidelines were placed before it.
The Petroleum and Oxygen Safety Organization (PESO) told the sub-group that sufficient quantity of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) is available with major hospitals and re-fillers in Delhi, and since Delhi has surplus oxygen, which is affecting the LMO supplies to other states, and termed it, "disaster in waiting, if it continues likes this".
The panel emphasised that the Delhi government used wrong formula and made exaggerated claims for medical oxygen, and it was not clear on what basis Delhi sought 700 MT in the top court when data collated by it for audit had gross errors.
The panel headed by AIIMS director Randeep Guleria and comprising Subodh Yadav, joint secretary, Jal Shakti Ministry, Bhupinder S Bhalla, principal secretary (home), Government of NCT, Delhi, Sandeep Bhudhiraja of Max Hospital, Delhi and Sanjay Kumar Singh, controller of explosives, PESO was formed by the top court on 6 May.
The panel said it appeared that the Delhi government used a wrong formula and made exaggerated claims on 30 April. It was also evident that some hospitals could not differentiate between kilolitre and Metric Tonne but this was not examined while projecting 700 MTs.
"It is not clear on what basis had an allocation of 700MT been sought by government of Delhi in Supreme Court of India when collated data had so many gross errors and it took an oxygen audit to point out the same," added the report.
Although the panel’s interim report emphasised on “exaggeration”, it was missed that two members on the committee – Bhupinder Bhalla, principal secretary (Home), Delhi government and Dr Sandeep Buddhiraja, clinical director & director–internal medicine, Max Healthcare – had dissented on the parameters that were used to evaluate the said report.
Bhalla wrote the committee was functioning with a preconceived and predetermined conclusion and narrative. Dr Buddhiraja said that the calculation did not take into account the oxygen cylinder refilling and non-COVID needs of the hospitals, reported The New Indian Express.
Following the Delhi government’s claims of shortage of medical oxygen, a bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud on 5 May had directed the Centre to maintain supply of 700 MT of oxygen to Delhi. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, had vehemently argued that this demand was exaggerated, and the requirement was of about 415 MT.
(With inputs from IANS, NDTV, and The New Indian Express)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)