A man from Karumbukkadai petitioned District Collector K. Rajamani on Friday alleging denial of treatment for his pregnant wife at a private hospital in the city.
In the petition, M. Mohammad Asif claimed that he took his pregnant wife Mahadiya to K.G. Hospital on April 29 as she experienced abdominal pain. The doctors refused to treat her claiming that she had a higher body temperature. Mr. Asif claimed in the petition that her temperature was 98 degrees Fahrenheit. The hospital authorities had allegedly told him that they did not have adequate doctors on duty.
As Ms. Mahadiya’s pain increased, Mr. Asif took her to another private hospital, where the doctors said that she had suffered an incomplete abortion, the petition said.
Mr. Asif requested the Collector to take action against the hospital for allegedly refusing treatment to his wife and subjecting her to physical and mental stress.
G. Bakthavathsalam, founder and head of K.G. Hospital, denied these allegations. In a video message, he claimed that the doctors explained to Mr. Asif that there were “no facilities” available in the hospital to test for COVID-19 and requested him to take his wife to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital.
“A few people have set out to ruin the name of the hospital,” Dr. Bakthavathsalam alleged.
No discrimination
The hospital said in a statement later in the evening: “We do not discriminate based on religion. Mr. Asif allegedly demanded to see a senior doctor on April 29, but the hospital’s senior general physician had suffered a heart attack and was not in a position to treat patients.”