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Covid-19 patient in Bhopal dies after being dumped in hospital parking lot

Hindustan Times, Bhopal | ByHT Correspondent| Edited by Sabir Hussain
Jul 07, 2020 11:18 PM IST

The patient was admitted to the hospital on June 23 for renal failure before he contracted Covid-19.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordered a magisterial inquiry on Tuesday into death of a Covid-19 patient in Bhopal after he was allegedly left unattended in a private hospital’s parking lot on Monday evening.

The critically ill 59-year-old man lay in the parking lot of the People’s General Hospital’s for about an hour after being left there by an ambulance driver, the deceased’s son alleged. Doctors eventually attended him but he died shortly thereafter.

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The man had been admitted to the People’s General Hospital on June 23 for renal failure before he contracted Covid-19.

“It is unfortunate that a patient was ill-treated in Bhopal. A magisterial inquiry has already been ordered and wrongdoers will not be spared,” the chief minister told reporters.

The People’s General Hospital released CCTV footage where the driver and ambulance attendant of Chirayu Medical College and Hospital could be seen leaving the patient unattended on the floor of the parking lot.

The deceased’s son demanded a tough action against the management of both the hospitals.

“People’s General hospital, where my father was left unattended, neither informed any of family members including me nor provided the necessary treatment to him and Chirayu hospital’s ambulance left my father in a serious condition on the floor in the parking lot. The driver of the ambulance said instead of taking my father to Covid-19 designated Chirayu Hospital, he came back to People’s Hospital as my father’s condition was getting critical,” said the son.

“How could a sensitive person leave a critical patient unattended at a parking lot?” he asked and demanded legal action against the driver too.

Zameel Khan a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) in Bhopal, said the patient was left behind after a disagreement between the two hospitals.

“The ambulance came at around 7.30 pm to take the patient to Chirayu Hospital after he tested positive for coronavirus as Chirayu happens to be a dedicated Covid hospital. But later, the driver called the People’s General Hospital that they were coming back as the patient was getting critical and needed an ambulance equipped with a ventilator. When People’s General Hospital refused to take the patient back, the driver left the patient in the parking lot. Later, while the doctors at People’s General Hospital started treating him, he died,” Khan said.

The two hospitals blamed each other for the patient’s death. The People’s General hospital blamed Chirayu Medical College and Hospital for the lapses whereas Chirayu hospital administration blamed People’s Hospital for not providing correct information to it regarding the patient and later refusing to attend the patient.

People’s General Hospital’s manager Udayshankar Dixit said, “As we are not a Covid-19 designated hospital, we requested the ambulance driver not to come back but he not only ignored our request but also left the patient outside the hospital without informing us.”

Chirayu Medical College and Hospital managing director Ajay Goenka said, “The driver came back with a good intention as the patient was getting critical. He informed a doctor of People’s General hospital that they needed to take care of the patient just for 20 minutes as another ambulance equipped with a ventilator was on its way but People’s General Hospital refused to take care of him immediately.”

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