Young mother with Covid-19 dumped outside Mandya hospital, dies

'MIMS refused to admit the patient citing non-availability of oxygen and beds,' says Tabraiz Amman, a citizen volunteer who tried to find a bed for the patient

The ongoing oxygen crisis claimed the life of a 33-year-old woman on Tuesday night after she was abandoned by her ambulance driver and refused admission at several hospitals.

Safina (name changed), a widow with three pre-teen children and a resident of Tumakuru district, came down with symptoms of the disease on May 2. When her oxygen saturation levels began to deteriorate, neighbours informed her family in Mandya.

“We tried to get her admitted to the government hospital in Tumakuru on Tuesday morning, but they said they did not have any vacant beds. Oxygen was given to stabilise her SpO2 levels and she was asked to leave,” explained Safina’s brother Mohammed Ismail.

He added that his sister had no comorbidities of any kind.

Read | Video alleges disruption of oxygen supply in Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences

What followed was a frantic dash across several districts in an ambulance in a bid to find a bed. Ismail said that by the time his sister was transported to the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS), her oxygen saturation levels had dropped below 50.

“MIMS refused to admit the patient citing non-availability of oxygen and beds,” said Tabraiz Amman, a citizen volunteer who tried to find a bed for the patient.

Dr Ravindra Gowda, Resident Medical Officer at MIMS told DH that the hospital has 404 beds in total, out of which 273 are oxygenated, with a further 30 being ICU-ventilator beds. There are no vacancies at all and furthermore, there is a waiting list of 45 people for the ICU-V beds,” he said.

Safina was subsequently taken to Channapatna Government Hospital on Tuesday evening on the promise that beds were available. However, she was returned to MIMS after being rejected at Channapatna due to her low oxygen saturation levels, Amman said.

Also Read | Karnataka government launches helpline for cremation of Covid-19 patients

Ismail said that the ambulance driver abandoned Safina. “The driver said he could not stay anymore. He shut off the oxygen supply and forced us to take my sister out in front of the emergency entrance at MIMS and drove off,” Ismail said.

“We placed her on the road beside the entrance. Her Spo2 level dwindled to 2.5. She complained of being unable to breathe and died at about 10.30 pm,” he said.

Mandya Deputy Commissioner Aswathi S said that the district was scaling up the number of oxygenated beds, including setting up 150 additional beds at MIMS, plus 50 oxygenated beds at various taluk hospitals.

“However, we would need 6 to 10 kilolitres of additional oxygen per day to operationalise these beds,” she said, adding that oxygen manufacturers had not yet agreed to enhance supplies.

She said that oxygen generators had also been promised by the government and could be installed in three to four weeks from now in two taluks.