PANJIM: Even as the squabbling between Goa's chief minister Pramod Sawant and health minister Vishwajit Rane escalates the terror of deaths at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) continued on the fourth day with thirteen more COVID-19 patients succumbing to the deadly infection. 

Senior health department officials were quoted in news agency reports that at least 13 more COVID-19 patients at the GMCH died in the early hours of Friday (between 2 am and 6 am), after oxygen levels once again dropped in wards where COVID-19 patients were being treated.

The horror started on Tuesday when 26 patients died due to oxygen issues, the next day on Wednesday 20 patients succumbed, and 15 died on Thursday due to issues with the supply of oxygen.

While the state government and authorities continue to blame 'logistical issues' for the fatalities maintaining the adequate oxygen was available the opposition leaders say that it was a shame that the state was not able to save lives and continued to play the blame game.

On Thursday, advocate general Devidas Pangam told a Bombay High Court bench of Justices Nitin Sambre and Mahesh Sonak that the deaths were due to a delay in replacing oxygen cylinders as they didn’t have an 'expert tractor driver' capable of manoeuvring the tractor carrying the cylinders in a small pathway in reverse gear to unload it.

The bench was hearing a bunch of petitions on the recent death of Covid-19 patients at the GMCH allegedly due to lack of medical oxygen.

The bench noted, "We are completely down seeing these figures. There is admitted deficiency and admitted technical and logistical glitches," the bench said adding that, it was pained that 'such a mighty' state couldn’t find a solution.

Vijai Sardesai, former deputy chief minister of Goa and President of Goa Forward Party said that due to an incompetent government dozens of people suffering from the deadly infection are dying at the 'Dark Hour' of early morning. 

In the past couple of days, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane have locked horns over policy decisions such as imposing lockdown-like restrictions and the supply of oxygen to Covid-positive patients.

Two day ago Rane had called for a High Court probe into the deaths at GMCH, admitting that these could be due to oxygen shortage and that CM Sawant might be 'misguided' on the matter. Both of them have preferred to make separate visits to the premier health facility and have not jointly made any address to media or to officials for giving directions.