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Covid-19 patient dies for ‘want of treatment’ in Jharkhand, probe ordered
When state health minister Banna Gupta was stepping out of the hospital, patient Pawan Gupta’s daughter told him that they kept calling for doctors, but no one came to see her father
A Covid-19 patient allegedly died at Ranchi’s Sadar Hospital as he waited for doctors to attend him while state health minister Banna Gupta was taking stock of facilities there on Tuesday.
Banna Gupta said he has ordered a probe into the matter and sought a detailed report from Ranchi’s civil surgeon within 48 hours to ascertain the circumstances in which the patient, Pawan Gupta, died and whether there was any laxity.
Pawan Gupta was rushed to Ranchi from Hazaribag, around 100km away, for better treatment as his condition started deteriorating. His family said they took him from one hospital to another and were told there was unavailability of beds before Pawan Gupta was brought to Sadar hospital, which has been declared Covid hospital. They said he was made to wait for several hours in the name of formalities, and no one attended him.
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When Banna Gupta was stepping out of the hospital, Pawan Gupta’s daughter told him that they kept calling for doctors, but no one came to see her father. “Now, what will you do? You only keep on giving interviews. Can you bring my father back?”
Banna Gupta said the incident shattered him. “I am concerned about the health of the people. I was infected with Covid-19 last year and yet visited the Covid ward of the hospital to take stock of the facilities.”
He said all private hospitals have been asked to reserve 50% of the beds for Covid-19 patients.
Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party leader Raghubar Das said chief minister Hemant Soren and the health minister have no answers to the daughter’s questions. “[She] lost her father to ill-Covid management.” Das said he would urge the chief minister to be sensitive towards the people who have elected him keeping aside the politics.
All Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds in Ranchi’s government hospitals were fully occupied. Just 24 ICU beds were available at 22 private hospitals until Sunday evening, according to the Ranchi administration.
Only 194 ventilators are available in the district, of which 121 were occupied till Sunday evening.
