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Ghaziabad: Magisterial inquiry ordered into death of 66-year-old Covid patient
Ghaziabad: The district magistrate has directed for a magisterial inquiry into the death of a 66-year-old coronavirus (Covid-19)-positive woman who was allegedly
Ghaziabad: The district magistrate has directed for a magisterial inquiry into the death of a 66-year-old coronavirus (Covid-19)-positive woman who was allegedly referred from a private hospital to an L3-category Covid hospital in an ambulance which was without any life support equipment. The woman was declared dead upon arrival by doctors who examined her in the ambulance when it reached the L3 facility late on June 16.
The woman, who lived at New Gandhi Nagar in Ghaziabad, had been admitted to Sarvodaya Hospital located in Kavi Nagar Industrial Area on June 13. According to her family members, doctors at the hospital allegedly showed undue haste to refer her to an L3 facility, in an ordinary ambulance without any life support equipment.
“She had diabetes and had fever for a couple of days before that. Her oxygen saturation was also low. After a lot of deliberation we got her admitted to Sarvodaya Hospital, after which she was admitted to an ICU and immediately put on a ventilator, even though she did have respiratory issues at the time. Her sample was taken on June 14 and her reports arrived June 15, confirming her to be Covid-positive,” the sister-in-law of the patient alleged.
“On June 16 around 10.30pm, the hospital informed us that she needs to be shifted to an L3 Covid hospital. They had also arranged for an ambulance but it was a normal ambulance which only had a stretcher. They told us the patient will be brought downstairs to the ambulance with the aid of an air pump for oxygen supply. We repeatedly denied that she should not be shifted at night but they insisted. In the ambulance, there were only two men,” she added.
The district magistrate has assigned the inquiry to city magistrate Shiv Prakash Shukl.
“The inquiry has been directed and is to be completed in seven days. We will now seek replies from all concerned parties and a report will be submitted to the district magistrate,” the city magistrate said.
The L3 Covid facility, Santosh Medical hospital, is a government acquired facility. Its medical superintendent Dr Manish Sabharwal did not take calls.
The son of the deceased woman alleged laxity on part of the staff members of Sarvodaya Hospital.
“During discussions with the officials of L3 hospital, it was decided that an ambulance with a ventilator will be arranged for shifting her in the morning of June 17. However, on the night of June 16, I got a call from Sarvodaya Hospital informing us that shifting is to take place that night itself. We suspect that something happened to my mother at the hospital which is why they were bent on shifting her the same evening. They made us sign the discharge papers. We didn’t realise what was happening. My mother was brought down and taken to an L3 hospital in an ordinary ambulance,” he added.
The distance between the two hospitals is about seven to eight kilometres.
When contacted, Dr NK Gupta, chief medical officer, Ghaziabad, said, “All the issues pertaining to the case will be taken up during the magisterial inquiry.”
Dr Amit Goel, the administration in-charge of Sarvodaya Hospital denied all allegations.
“The shifting of the patient took place after we received an email from the office of the chief medical officer’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) unit for shifting the patient, around 8.43pm on June 16. Before shifting, we also took written consent of the family and the final bill was also given. Three of our staff members, including one doctor, went with her in the ambulance. For about 30 minutes, the guard of L3 hospital did not allow the ambulance to enter the hospital. After the issue was resolved, the ambulance was let in,” Dr Goel said.
He added that the patient was in a gasping state with heavy diabetes, and had low oxygen saturation of about 30-31% when she was admitted on June 13.
“She was on ventilator since the night of June 13 and tested positive on June 15. We had also told the family that we did not have any ventilator fitted ambulance. The family had also given us written consent for treatment on June 13,” he added.
