Gorakhpur: 30 children die after oxygen disrupted at BRD hospital

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Gorakhpur: In a shocking incident, at least thirty children lost their lives in the last 48 hours after the oxygen supply was disrupted at a government-run hospital at Bihar's Gorakhpur district. 

Gorakhpur District Magistrate Rajeev Rautela confirmed the news and said that at least 30 children died due to the shortage of Oxygen supply. 

Hospital authorities told India TV that the agency responsible for supplying oxygen stopped supply last night, leading to the death of children, mainly suffering from encephalitis. 

The children who died were admitted in three wards at the hospital.

The incident comes two days after the visit of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to the hospital to review its functioning. Gorakhpur, where the hospital is located, is the Lok Sabha constituency of the CM Adityanath.

What led to the incident: 

The children were admitted at the Baba Raghav Das Hospital in Gorakhpur district of northern Uttar Pradesh, India`s most populated state ruled by the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party.

"The hospital has said that 23 children died on Thursday and 11 today. At the moment we only have this information," senior police superintendent Satyarth Aniruddha Pankaj told AFP by phone. "The matter is being investigated," he said.

City magistrate V K Srivastava, however, denied the allegations and said the hospital had enough oxygen cylinders in stock.

"The deaths were not due to lack of oxygen as is being reported. The supply was stopped yesterday (Thursday) but the hospital has enough cylinders in stock," he told AFP. 

गोरखपुर के बीआरडी मेडिकल कॉलेज में ऑक्सीजन की कमी से किसी रोगी की मृत्यु नहीं हुई है। — Government of UP (@UPGovt) August 11, 2017

"Many acute cases are referred to the hospital and on an average 10-11 kids die daily. A team has been set up to look into the matter." 

State-run hospitals in India are often stretched to breaking point, with patients facing long delays for even minor treatment and forced to share beds.

As a result, Indians avoid the state-run system if they can, with many flocking to private clinics and hospitals. 

But a consultation with a private GP can cost 1,000 rupees ($15), a huge sum for millions living on less than $2 a day.