9 hospitals refuse to treat Covid-19 positive patient

A 45-year-old hardware dealer who tested positive for Covid-19 on June 26 was refused treatment by nine city hospitals, many of which are on the new impanelled list of institutions obligated to provide care.

The patient’s wife explained that her husband had first developed symptoms on June 24, which progressively worsened by June 26. “We live in Gottigere but we immediately set out for a private hospital in Jayanagar 4th Block for a test that night. We were told not to enter the hospital premises after we explained the situation,” she explained. This proved the first of many such experiences, she added.

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The family reportedly then went to another private hospital nearby where a test confirmed that the patient had Covid-19. “However, the hospital refused to admit us and instead referred us to their branch in Bommanahalli,” she explained. At Bommanahalli, the family was also refused entry. At St John’s hospital, the family was allegedly told that the last two vacant beds had just been filled.

The family also reached out to a private hospital located near Kengeri which said there were no ICU beds. At another private hospital on Bannerghatta Road, medical staff took an X-ray of the patient’s chest and informed the family that he required urgent hospitalisation. At this point, the patient had developed breathlessness, a serious symptom of the disease.

After calling up the BBMP helpline, the family was directed to the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD), only to be told that there were no beds. “However, my angriest experience was at KIMS, where the entire hospital appeared to be deserted, with no medical staff at all,” she revealed.

The patient was finally admitted to Prakriya hospital on Tumakuru Road on Saturday. He is said to be in stable condition and responding to the treatment.