Andhra govt announces Rs 10 lakh compensation to kin of 11 COVID victims

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Tuesday announced Rs 10 lakh ex gratia for families of patients who died at Tirupati's Ruia Hospital due to low-pressure oxygen.

Amaravati:The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of 11 Covid-19 patients, who died in a hospital in Tirupati due to a problem in oxygen supply.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy announced this during a videoconference with district Collectors.

Read:|Five-minute lag in reloading oxygen cylinder kills 11 patients in Andhra Pradesh

Eleven Covid-19 patients died due to a problem in oxygen supply inside the ICU in Ruia hospital late on Monday night.

There was a five-minute lag in reloading liquid medical oxygen, which caused the pressure to drop, resulting in the deaths, Chittoor district Collector M Hari Narayanan had said.

Meanwhile, a team of engineers from the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy visited Ruia Hospital to inspect the oxygen supply system and suggestive corrective measures, if any.

Read:|AP govt announces ex-gratia for mine victims

All opposition parties came down heavily on the state government, squarely blaming it for causing the death of 11 Covid-19 patients.

They called the deaths "government murders" and demanded that the Chief Minister step down if he could not protect people's lives.

PTI

Read:|Patients die due to oxygen shortage in Anantapur