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Highlight
- No state or union territory has confirmed death due to lack of oxygen: Government
- Over 5.21 lakh deaths have been recorded in India due to Kovid, Center informs Parliament
- Some states are still updating, reporting Covid deaths on ministry’s portal, says government
The Center on Tuesday informed Parliament that death due to oxygen deficiency has not been confirmed by any state or union territory, though India has recorded over 5.21 lakh deaths due to COVID-19.
It told the Rajya Sabha that it has asked states to provide details of people who have died due to lack of oxygen.
Bharti Praveen Pawar, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, told the Upper House, “As on April 4, 2022, States/UTs have reported a total of 5,21,358 deaths due to COVID-19 in the country.” Replying to supplementary questions during Question Hour, he said, “Twenty states/UTs have responded and none of them have confirmed death due to lack of oxygen.”
He said that some states are still updating and reporting the deaths due to COVID-19 on the web portal of the ministry.
On a question by Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil that the government had promised Rs 4 lakh as compensation for the death of Kovid and why this money was not being given, Bharti said that the government has issued guidelines in a transparent manner. .
He said that arrangements have been made for the safety and care of patients through insurance schemes for poor patients.
The Minister also said that the ex-gratia payment has been examined at the Centre, State and District levels and it has been determined that the amount to be given is not Rs 4 lakh.
“The ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 as per the Centre, state and district levels. The NDMA has proposed a compensation of Rs 50,000 and not Rs 4 lakh for each victim of COVID-19,” he told the House.
The minister also said that during COVID-19, the government has taken several measures and a budget of Rs 64,000 crore has been sanctioned to strengthen the health infrastructure.
“Till now we have over 300 laboratories, over five lakh oxygen-supported beds, 1.5 lakh ICU beds, over 4,000 PSA plants, over 60,000 ventilators and all emergency facilities have been upgraded.”
Pawar also said that a new Bio-Safety Level (BSL)-3 mobile laboratory is also being added to detect new strains and viruses.
Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in a written reply said that more than 180 technical guidelines/advices/soaps/schemes have been issued by his ministry to the states and union territories.
This includes monitoring and prevention of COVID-19, travel counselling, clinical management protocols for management of COVID-19 cases in adults and children, rational use of medical oxygen, SOPs for safe resumption of activities in workplaces, markets, etc. Contains technical guidance on issues. Religious place among others.
According to him, to address the rise in demand for medical oxygen, the central government had supported the states in terms of increasing availability, streamlining distribution and strengthening oxygen storage infrastructure in the country.
As of April 4, 2022, 4,055 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants have been commissioned in the country.
This includes PSA plants under PM-CARES, PSUs of various central ministries and other sources to increase the capacity of medical oxygen production and supply at the facility level.
In another written response, Mandaviya said that as of 30 March 2022, a total of 79.28 crore (84.4 per cent) beneficiaries aged 18 years and above have received both doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
“As of March 30, 2022, a total of 167.14 crore doses (97 per cent of the total doses) have been administered free of cost to eligible beneficiaries aged 18 years and above under the National COVID-19 Immunization Programme,” he said.
As of March 30, an estimated 2.6 crore (2.8 per cent) eligible beneficiaries above the age of 18 years have not received a single dose of the vaccine.
Also, against an estimated population of about 7.40 crore beneficiaries aged 15-18 years, 5.70 crore (77 per cent) have received at least one dose, 3.
77 crore (51 per cent) beneficiaries have received both the doses of Kovid vaccines.
“As of March 30, against an estimated population of 4.7 crore beneficiaries aged 12-14 years, a total of 1.51 crore (32 per cent) have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The second dose for any such beneficiary is due It doesn’t happen,” Mandaviya said.
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