Nashik oxygen leak incident: Probe ordered, kin of deceased to get ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakhs

Mumbai: A three-member committee has been formed to probe if negligence led to the leakage of oxygen at a municipal hospital in Nashik that claimed the lives of 22 people, including 11 men and 11 women, all of whom were on ventilators. The incident took place at Zakir Hussain municipal hospital in north Maharashtra city earlier in the day. 

According to local officials, the patients died as the oxygen supply was disrupted due to a leakage in the oxygen storage plant. 

A senior civic official told PTI that of the 150 patients admitted to the hospital, 23 were on ventilator support at the time of the incident while the rest were on oxygen support.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, however, announced an ex-gratia to kin of the deceased in the Nashik incident. The Chief Minister said, "Nashik incident is shocking. No words to express my grief. Rs 5 lakh compensation announced for the families of the deceased. A high-level probe has been ordered." 

District Collector Suraj Mandhare told reporters, "As per the current information, 22 people have died due to the interrupted supply of oxygen at the Zakir Hussain municipal hospital. The patients were on ventilators as well as on oxygen supply, which got interrupted after the leakage in the oxygen supply tank."

Expressing grief, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the 22 deceased, including 11 men and 11 women, died due to a low supply of oxygen caused by the leakage from the storage tank. 

Tope said, "It is a very tragic incident. It is a COVID-19 hospital run by the Nashik Municipal Corporation where 157 patients were admitted of which 67 were on ventilator," adding "It is yet to be ascertained if the leakage from the oxygen tank was caused by negligence or it was the issue of workmanship. The incident will be probed thoroughly."

Commenting on the leakage from the oxygen tank, Tope said, "The liquid oxygen which was filled in the tank has the temperature of around (minus) 180-degree celsius. There is extreme pressure on the walls of the tank which supplies the oxygen to patients on ventilators. It is more of a technical issue".

Tope said a probe will ascertain whether the leakage was caused due to negligence or due to any other issue.

Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) Commissioner Kailas Jadhav said no patient is in serious condition now, adding "Out of the 150 patients admitted in the hospital, 23 were on ventilator support at the time of the incident while the rest were on oxygen supply."

Sources told PTI that two oxygen tanks were recently set up at the hospital and the task of maintaining the oxygen storage and maintenance has been given to a private company. They further added that the incident occurred when oxygen was being filled in one of the tanks from a tanker, which disturbed the supply to the patients who were on ventilators as well as to those dependent on oxygen for breathing.

Meanwhile, senior police officers and personnel rushed to the hospital to control the situation and dispersed the crowd of onlookers, and also restricted entry to the hospital.

Nashik Police Commissioner Deepak Pandey stated that the tragedy occurred due to the oxygen leakage while filing up the storage tank. 

Notably, Maharashtra is the worst-hit state in India both in terms of the number of COVID-19 cases and fatalities.

(With Agency Inputs)