Much to the relief of a cardiac patient who was allegedly turned away by two government medical colleges on various occasions with a stock reply that COVID-19 patients are given priority over others, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday directed the Principal and Medical Superintendent of Government Medical College, Alappuzha, to review the medical condition of the patient and subject him to due procedure for removing blocks on his arteries, if he is fit for the same.
Justice Anu Sivaraman passed the directive on a petition filed by R. Radhakrishnan, a tailor from Kollam. According to him, when he felt palpitation and uneasiness on January 2, he was rushed to the district hospital.
Coronary artery disease
He was diagnosed with coronary artery disease with angina. The doctors of the district hospital advised him to take treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Thiruvananthapuram. However, when he went to the Thiruvananthapuram MCH in March, he was turned away saying that priority was given to COVID-19 patients. He was again rushed to the MCH on March 26 when he developed severe palpitation and hypertension. Though the petitioner was willing to undergo bypass surgery, the MCH authorities once again turned him away. Later, he felt severe chest pain and uneasiness multiple times on April 6 and was taken to the Travancore Medical College Hospital, Thattamala, Kollam, where the doctors advised him to undergo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) at the earliest, which will cost ₹10 lakh, the petitioner said. He said that he could not afford to pay the amount and therefore got himself discharged from the hospital. When his son met the cardiologists at the Alappuzha MCH with his medical records, he was advised to come back after the lockdown. He was rushed to the Alappuzha MCH on April 24 with complaints of severe palpitation.
Surgery
Though he insisted on immediate medical intervention, the MCH authorities were not willing to do a surgery for removing the artery blocks and he was discharged from the hospital on April 26.
The petitioner contended that the MCH authorities had violated his right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution by denying him access to the health-care system.