Gorakhpur children death: UP CM Adityanath, Health Min JP Nadda to visit hospital as toll rises to 72

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Health Minister J P Nadda will visit Gorakhpur on Sunday after over 70 children died while undergoing treatment at the state-run Baba Raghav Das Medical College Hospital.

While the Chief Minister and Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel will reach Gorakhpur at around 1100 hrs from the state capital, the Union Health Minister will reach there directly from New Delhi.

At Gorakhpur, all the three leaders along with state Health Ministers-- Sidhartha Nath Singh and Ashutosh Tandon and state officials would visit BRD Medical college hospital and review the situation.

The UP Chief Minister has claimed last night that all the deaths of children in hospital was due to acute encephalitis and not shortage of oxygen. However, he admitted that for two hours on August 10, there was shortage of oxygen and the children were given artificial respiration.

Mr Adityanath expressed his condolence over the Gorakhpur hospital tragedy on his official twitter handle.

In his tweets, the CM said that ,"My heartiest condolences to the families in their hour of grief". The incident of  Baba Raghav Das Medical (BRD) college Gorakphpur has given a deep pain."

During a press conference in the state capital last night, Mr Adityanath claimed that no child died due to oxygen shortage in Gorakhpur BRD Medical College hospital.

BRD medical college Principal Dr RK Mishra had been suspended and a committee, headed by Chief Secretary, would probe claims by the private company which was supplying oxygen. But the principal was reportedly said to have resigned before the government could suspend him.

State Health Minister Sidharthnath Singh claimed that during the past three years, the death of children due to encephalitis in August was between 19 to 22 per day but this year, it was just around 10 per day in the first 12 days of August.

He claimed that there was low pressure on oxygen on August 10 in the morning between 0730 hrs to 1130 hrs but artificial respiratory system was used for two hours thereafter. He too denied any death due to shortfall of oxygen though 23 children died on that day.

Mr Ashutosh Tandon, Medical and Education Minister accepted that there had been delay in payment to the gas supplier by the BRD medical college authorities and a probe had been ordered to find out the reasons. ''The government will act strong against the culprits after the inquiry report'', the Minister assured.

He said the required funds for payment to oxygen gas supplier were released by the Director General of Medical Education on August 5 and the same was credited into the account of the principal of the BRD medical college on August 7 and outstanding money was paid to the oxygen gas supplier on August 11.

Mr Tandon said that Dr Mishra left for Uttarakhand without prior permission and did not make payments to the supplier even after getting the funds of Rs two crores on August 5.