Oxygen firm sent 14 reminders to hospital in 6 months

GORAKHPUR: The Lucknow-based healthcare firm Pushpa Sales, at the centre of the controversy over disruption of oxygen supply to Baba Raghav Das hospital because of non-payment of dues, had sent as many as 14 reminders to the administration since February this year.

The firm, which had entered into an agreement with the hospital in 2014, repeatedly told the hospital about the importance of the "life-saving medical gas". In a legal notice served to the suspended principal of the BRD medical college and hospital, Dr RK Mishra, dated July 30, the firm had given a break-up of the dues totalling to 63.65 lakh.

"... you are aware of the importance of medical gas for the patients of your medical college as this is a life-saving gas and because of your lethargic approach in making the due payments of the above pending bills it is literally very tough for my client to maintain the easy supply of the medical gas to your college in the absence of the payments of the above pending bills to my client," the firm's legal advisor Vivek Gupta said in the notice.

The notice said the principal's "lethargic approach" in clearing the bills was creating problems in the "smooth supply of the medical gas to your medical college".