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PGIMER refuses to treat critically ill frontline Covid warrior, then admits her after 6 hours
The doctor, who contracted the disease while working at the Sector 22 Civil Hospital, had been isolated at GMSH-16 when her condition deteriorated
She tested positive for Covid-19 while working at the Sector 22 Civil Hospital and her condition deteriorated while she was being treated at the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16 (GMSH-16). However, when referred to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), doctors there first refused to treat the frontline Covid warrior and then took six hours to admit her as a senior UT administration official intervened, it has been learnt.
“The doctor, isolated at GMSH-16, developed critical symptoms on Wednesday evening. She was supposed to undergo supervised medical care at the Covid-19 hospital at PGIMER’s Nehru Hospital Extension Block,” said a senior UT official requesting anonymity.
However, when a request was made to PGIMER for admitting her, the hospital refused and “a tussle ensued between the UT health department and the institute,” said the official.
It was only after six hours of intense negotiations that PGIMER finally relented and accepted the patient. “A senior UT administration official had to take up the case with the institute’s authorities and only then was the patient admitted,” he added.
The Covid-19 hospital has a 200 bed capacity and is equipped with ventilators. Currently, 12 patients are admitted at the centre, of which one is from Jammu and Kashmir, three from Haryana and two from Punjab. Among them seven patients are in the intensive care unit.
When asked for a response, PGIMER spokesperson, Dr Ashok Kumar, said, “cases are first discussed by the institute’s doctors and their counterparts in other hospitals before referring patients.”
“It must have taken time for the doctors to discuss the case, but I cannot confirm whether there was some issue or not as I do not have any intimation,” Dr Kumar said.
Earlier, PGIMER had said that despite repeated requests, cases with mild Covid-19 symptoms and other minor ailments were coming in from neighbouring states, following which the UT adviser was asked to take up the matter with the states to ensure that such patients be treated locally.
