A video of a private hospital owner in India's Agra district allegedly admitting to cutting the oxygen supply to critical patients has gone viral on social media, prompting Uttar Pradesh state government officials to investigate.
In the video, the owner of Paras Hospital Dr. Arinjay Jain is apparently telling some people that the oxygen supply was cut for five minutes as part of a "mock drill" on 26 April.
"Then I decided to try something like a mock drill and asked the staff to identify those whose oxygen supply can be cut. That way, we will get to know who will die and who'll survive. The mock drill happened at 7 am, no one knows about this," the person who is believed to be Dr. Jain said in the video.
"Twenty-two patients started gasping for breath and their bodies began turning blue. We came to know that they will not survive," he said, adding: "Seventy-four others who survived in the ICU ward were told to bring their own oxygen cylinders."
"We are investigating the matter. 22 patients didn't die that day. The Additional District Magistrate (City) is looking into the matter. I can't say anything right now. We will decide only after our investigation is over and we will take stringent action against the guilty," Singh told Sputnik on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, two key politicians from India's main opposition party Congress, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Tuesday slammed the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh state government over the incident.
Gandhi also tweeted the scandalous video:
“There is a severe shortage of both oxygen and humanity under the BJP rule. Action should be taken immediately against all those responsible for this dangerous crime,” Gandhi posted on Twitter. “My condolences to the families of the deceased in this hour of grief."