E-Paper
Delay in test reports led to death of 2 Kalyan doctors: Friend
A day after two doctors – a father and son – from Kalyan died due to Covid-19, a close friend of the family has claimed that the delay of three-four days in receiving their RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) test reports led to a delay in their treatment and subsequent deaths
A day after two doctors – a father and son – from Kalyan died due to Covid-19, a close friend of the family has claimed that the delay of three-four days in receiving their RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) test reports led to a delay in their treatment and subsequent deaths.
The friend also claimed that the duo – Dr Nagendra Mishra, 57, and Dr Suraj Mishra, 28 – had taken the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine last month.
“Nagendra and I were so close that we used to meet on most days after our work. I remember him calling me and complaining that their RT-PCR reports have been delayed, owing to which they could not get admitted anywhere. The delay in RT-PCR led to delay in them getting proper treatment. Also, the family had to struggle a lot for beds to get the two admitted,” said the friend Omprakash Munna Pandey, 61, a resident of Khadakpada, Kalyan (West).
Dr Mishra father died at Thane hospital on Thursday night, and hours later, Dr Suraj also succumbed to the infection at a private hospital in Goregaon. Dr Mishra’s wife is also admitted to a private hospital at Dombivli.
“By the time Nagendra was admitted to the hospital, his body had 75% percent of the infection. He used to travel to his clinic at Khadavli, Titwala, by local train and had worked throughout the pandemic without any hesitation,” said Pandey.
Dr Suraj ran a clinic at Bapgaon, Bhiwandi.
“The suspected patients, awaiting their reports, are suffering a lot as they cannot get admitted to a hospital till their reports arrive. And by that time, the infection spreads over their body. I think the government should come up with some measures for suspected patients soon,” added Pandey.
Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation’s (KDMC) medical health officer Dr Ashwini Patil also admitted that there is a delay in receiving the RT-PCR reports.
“There is no information about the two doctors in our records as of now. We have not received their respective files from the hospitals where they were admitted. But as there is a spike in the cases and increased testing, reports are being delayed by three-four days. We are conducting around 5,000 tests daily. We have increased the manpower at our testing lab, and from Monday, the generation of test reports will speed up,” said Patil.
