Bengaluru Doctor succumbs to COVID, private hospitals face heat for allegedly denying admission
Bengaluru: In an unfortunate incident, another COVID Warrior succumbed to coronavirus shockingly after reportedly being denied admission in three of the reputed hospitals in Bangalore. The deceased has been identified as Dr Manjunath who was one of the front line COVID fighters.
According to recent media reports, the doctor was allegedly refused admission by 3 of the private hospitals as he could not produce any report of the COVID-19 test. The doctor was serving in the COVID facility at Chikkamudavadi primary health centre in Kanakapura taluk, Ramanagara district when he came in contact with the virus.
As per NDTV report, in June, the doctor was taken to Rajshekar Hospital in JP Nagar first where he could not get admission. The other two hospitals which also denied him admission include BGS Global Hospital in Kengeri and Sagar hospital in Kumar Swale layout. The hospitals claimed that without verifying the test reports of COVID-19, they will not be able to admit the patient. The brother-in-law of the deceased, Dr Nagendra who was also a doctor with BBMP and in charge of Hospital beds, in spite of his best efforts, could not secure a bed for his own relative. Later, on June 25th, the doctor showed symptoms of fever and respiratory trouble and was taken to Sagar Hospital but they also denied him admission.
Dr. Nagendra told TOI "It was a suspected case, and he was awaiting his test report. We, doctors, could not get a bed for him in three private hospitals we went to. All three hospitals rejected admission as he did didn't have his Covid-19 test report."
After that, the family started protesting sitting on the footpath outside the Dayananda Sagar campus. Dr. Nagendra further informed the daily, "Finally, four of us sat on the road in front of a fourth private hospital. Kumaraswamy Layout after which he was admitted on June 25. His condition improved for a while before it began deteriorating and we shifted him to the BMCRI on July 9. He was on a ventilator. The doctors had said his lung wasn't expanding and he required to be in the prone position, but that was not done." Later, the doctor passed away in the hospital.
The hospital authorities have informed that Dr. Manjunath was discharged on July 9 because he wanted plasma therapy. Six other members of his family have also been tested COVID positive, but they have already recovered.
Dr. Randeep, a Special Officer with the Bengaluru municipal body BBMP, told NDTV that the hospitals that denied admission to the doctor would-be reported to the health department. Mr. Randeep further added that they have instructed the hospital to admit patients, in case of emergencies, without COVID reports or they will have to face consequences. The OPD of two private hospitals was sealed for 48 hours when they refused to admit a patient.
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