Dad Died As Govt Dept Didn’t Inform Us Properly: Son of India’s 1st COVID-19 Fatality
Mumbai: The son of India’s first coronavirus fatality denied Karnataka health department’s claim that his family discharged the 76-year-old from a Kalaburagi hospital against health officials’ advice.
He denied statements made by officials of the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department, that the family of the 76-year-old man had gone against medical advice to discharge him from a private hospital in Kalaburagi and shifted to Care Hospital in Hyderabad on March 10.
Talking to Gulbarga Live, he said, “If they had asked us to go to Gulbarga Institute of Medical Science (GIMS), we would have gone there.” I did not know that there was a separate ward there. We roamed the Hyderabad from 4 am to 2 pm. The patient was battling for water. I hold the Health Department responsible here. They did not inform us properly, so my father died.”
GIMS is one of the laboratories in Karnataka designated for testing of coronavirus samples. In a press conference on Thursday, Karnataka Health Minister Sriramulu said that the family of a 76-year-old Kalaburagi man discharged him from a private hospital in Kalaburagi against the advice given by the health authorities.
The 76-year-old arrived in India from Saudi Arabia on 29 February. He was admitted to a private hospital in Kalaburagi on 9 March. His sample was collected for testing at Kalaburagi before being transferred to Care Hospital in Hyderabad.
The health department statement said that without waiting for the results of the test, the attendees insisted and the patient was discharged against medical advice (DAMA) and the attendees took him to a private hospital in Hyderabad.
However, the man’s son denied the claims of the Karnataka Health Department.
“The night of March 8, he started coughing a lot after midnight. We called the doctor and they advised to take us to the hospital immediately. We went to a chest specialist, but he did not respond and asked us to go to Sunrise Hospital. There, around 11 o’clock (on 9 March), X-ray results came in, they told us that he was fine and they would treat him. At 4 pm, a CT scan was done. After that, he told us that he was in critical condition and asked us to go to Hyderabad immediately, ”the son said.
“We told them that we don’t want to go to Hyderabad, we will treat them here. But they said no and forced us to go to Hyderabad. Then, since we were helpless, we went,” he said.
The son also said that he went to Gandhi and Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad before turning to Care Hospital where he admitted that he had not visited the first two hospitals in Hyderabad. The man from Kalaburagi was admitted to Care Hospital but was asked to leave soon. According to the son, the hospital authorities came to know that the patient had gone to two other hospitals in Hyderabad.
The son said that he received a call from health officials in Kalaburagi and asked him to bring his father back to the district. “We asked why they didn’t tell us earlier, we never left. Then they asked us to come back. Kalaburagi DHO Jabbar called and we said okay. His (father’s) heart was still beating at that time. Later when I went there we came to know that he had passed away, ”the son says.
The son bravely denied claims that the patient was taken to Hyderabad against the advice of health officials in Kalaburagi. “This is absolutely a lie.” He forced us to take him to Hyderabad. The president of Sunrise Hospital compelled us. If they had asked us to go to GEMS, we would have gone. I did not know that there was a separate ward there. We roamed the Hyderabad from 4 am to 2 pm. The patient was battling for water. I hold the Health Department responsible here. They didn’t inform us properly, that’s why my father died, “the son said
On March 10, the man was being brought back to Kalaburagi in an ambulance when he was declared dead.
Results of the tests on his samples were confirmed to be positive on Thursday, making him the first recorded death due to the virus in the country.
(With Agency Inputs)
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