Files slippery as an eel at Gorakhpur hospital, oxygen supply disrupted in 2016 too

But no one had died last year

K K Gupta, the director general of medical education in Uttar Pradesh, is on a fishing expedition that is making him angrier by the day.
 
He has not been able to get his hands on data of various deaths and admissions at the Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College where at least 63 children have died since Friday allegedly because of shortage of oxygen while undergoing treatment for encephalitis.
 
Gupta has been stationed at the college since Sunday to collate details of contracts and tenders awarded during the previous Samajwadi Party government. His mandate is to source the files, mainly related to the paediatric department, and pass these to the office of the Gorakhpur Commissioner, the Chief Secretary and the Prime Minister's Officer for further investigation. “I am not getting files on time despite asking for it many times. I feel like transferring all medical staff of this college,” a visibly upset Gupta said.
 
Officers closely linked to the process of sourcing the documents told Business Standard on condition of anonymity that the hospital administration has collapsed. “We know files are here, but people in the medical college are passing the buck. They are saying files are with others,” said an official, who was hopeful that the compilation process would be over by Wednesday.
 
An officer of the rank of additional chief secretary is likely to visit BRD Medical College on Thursday to take stock of the situation. The officer is supposed to present a report to the chief secretary, detailing if any action has to be taken against the erring staff.
 

Officials hunting for the documents said suspended principal Rajeev Mishra and a few clerks in his office would face the music once the probe was over. “There are many complaints of irregularities against Mishra. He was warned in the past by some of his colleagues, but he didn’t listen. His wife, who practises homoeopathy, participated in many official meetings without any authority,” alleged a colleague.
 
Business Standard could not independently verify the allegations. Mishra didn’t respond to phone calls and a text message.
 
Officials said oxygen supply had been disrupted in the hospital last year as well. However, no one had died.
 
Gupta said they were probing the delay on Mishra’s part to release payment to the gas supplier, who had on July 31 threatened to cut supply if dues were not cleared. “The funds were available with the principal, but still the bills of the oxygen supplier were not cleared on time. It is a matter of investigation. The gas supplier had threatened to cut supplies 15 days after sending a legal notice, but he cut supply before the completion of the notice period. We are also probing this.” Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Siddhartha Nath Singh said in Allahabad on Monday the state government had released the funds on August 5. “But the hospital administration made payments not before August 11 and even then, it spent only Rs 11 lakh. Why? Because of commissionkhori (the practice of seeking commission)," he said.
 
Mishra’s sympathisers, who also sought anonymity fearing a witch-hunt, said he was being made a scapegoat. “Everyone knows how the system works in the medical colleges and in the state government. Most people take commissions, some take less and some take more, depending on their political connections. Mishra has been writing to the state government for funds since July. The money came only in August. Shouldn’t the state government and senior bureaucrats in Lucknow be held responsible for this delay?” asked an official.