Tirupati Tragedy: Irresponsible and Insensitive Responses

Andhra Pradesh Government has announced that eleven people were killed in Tirupati RUIA Hospital after a disruption in Oxygen supply to the emergency ward. A few media reports and some of the people in the hospital are saying that the number could be as much as twenty-five.

The official statement of the incident reeks a lot of insensitivity. Making the statement, the district collector stressed that the Oxygen delay was only for five minutes. He even claimed that the authorities acted swiftly and ensure that more lives were not lost.

RUIA hospital has an oxygen tanker of 10 Kilo Liters capacity and there are around 150 patients in the ICU Wards. The officials will not say why they are not up to the task until the last minute. Eleven lives would have been saved if they were alert and averted that so-called ‘JUST FIVE MINUTES’ delay.

Patting the backs saying more lives could have been lost is the worst form of defense. Adding to the agony, there is no one who will own the responsibility and there is no one who will make the concerned responsible.