When a 56-year-old woman resident of Bengaluru first visited a private hospital on Monday, May 4, to get treatment for breathlessness, she was treated as a routine case with a respiratory infection.
Despite a government edict demanding that anyone with respiratory problems, especially those with symptoms of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) be tested for COVID-19, the hospital did not take a swab sample, explained Dr K Srinivas, the District Health Officer of Bengaluru Urban.
“As the patient’s condition worsened, she was directed to another private hospital in HBR Layout on May 6 where again, no testing for COVID-19 was done,” Dr Srinivas added.
The woman, now designated as Patient 846, died of complications arising from SARI on May 7. A swab sample taken after her death came back as positive for COVID-19 on Saturday night, health officials said.
Health officials lambasted the failure to test the patient when she was alive, blaming medical personnel at these private institutions for not adhering to regulations.
Officers of the Bengaluru Bruhat Mahanagara Palike have closed down both private hospitals for a period of 15 days for mandatory quarantine. Patients at the two centres have been relocated to other hospitals in the city.