No Deaths Due To Oxygen Scarcity In State: Maharashtra Health Minister In Vidhan Sabha

While replying to the allegations made by Fadnavis, about hiding Covid-19 death numbers, Rajesh Tope said that there were no deaths due to oxygen shortage in Vidhan Sabha. 

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope | (File Photo/ Getty Images)

On a day when Mumbai recorded a 70 percent rise with a fresh 1,377 Covid cases over the last 24 hours, Maharashtra's Health Minister, Rajesh Tope said that there were no deaths due to oxygen shortage in the state. 

Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis accused the state government of withholding information regarding the death toll due to coronavirus. Replying to the allegations made by Fadnavis in the Vidhan Sabha, Rajesh Tope said that there were "no deaths due to oxygen shortage." 

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"Even though the state government was accused of hiding the deaths during the Corona period, the High Court has stated that we have done a good job," Tope said in his Vidhan Sabha address. 

The health minister also said that World Health Organisations (WHO) also praised Mumbai's performance in Dharavi. He said that despite the deaths of 140,000 people, the state government had checked 12 crore people and increased the number of labs.

'There is no death due to lack of oxygen'

Rajesh Tope said that there was no death in the state due to lack of oxygen during the second wave of Covid-19. He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself had mentioned that 25 percent of the total beds in the country were in Maharashtra.

Talking about Fadnavis' allegations, Tope said, "The figures given by Devendra Fadnavis for April and May. Even if these figures are true, they may not have been recorded immediately. I am ready to discuss this with the Leader of the Opposition."

The Central Government too had earlier informed the Rajya Sabha that no State/UT specified any death due to lack of oxygen during the second wave of COVID-19. 

Maharashtra on Tuesday recorded 2,172 new Covid cases and 22 deaths, according to news agency ANI. However, no Omicron cases were reported. Meanwhile, the state’s fatality rate stood at 2.12 percent.