A day after journalist D. Manoj Kumar died of COVID-19 at Gandhi Hospital, his brother has alleged that there was delay of over four hours in shifting him to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) even as he was struggling to breathe. Even after being taken into the ICU, the 33-year-old was allegedly made to wait on a wheelchair for around an hour before before being provided medical care.
A screenshot of Whatsapp chat between Manoj and his brother, Sai Nath, is being widely shared on social media platforms, evoking sharp reaction from netizens. In the chat, Manoj wrote, “ICU is not good…pls will go to private hospital. Evar patichkuntaleru ikada kooda (No one is taking care here too).”
Upon developing symptoms, Manoj and his brother first went to Fever Hospital, Nallakunta, on June 3 to give swab samples for testing. His brother, too, gave the samples. After both tested positive, they were admitted to the seventh floor of Gandhi Hospital at around 1 a.m. of June 4.
Manoj suffered from Myasthenia Gravis, a neuromuscular disorder in which all muscles, including respiratory muscles, develop weakness. Along with the co-morbidities, he had COVID-19, bilateral pneumonia with Type-1 respiratory failure and Acute Respiratory Syndrome (ARDS).
However, Mr. Sai Nath alleged that no one asked them about associated health conditions when they got admitted. Both of them were allotted the same ward. “He complained of difficulty in breathing. I went out of the ward but could not find anyone except cleaning and maintenance staff who asked me to wait inside the ward till the doctor comes. He continued to suffer in the morning also. Two doctors checked him at around 11 a.m. and left,” said Mr Sai Nath, who also released a video in which he made the allegations.
As his brother struggled, Mr. Sai Nath sought the intervention of Manoj’s colleagues and friends.
“A doctor instructed nurses to shift him to the ICU. But he stayed where he was for four hours. When I raised the issue, he was taken to ICU at around 4 p.m. where he was made to wait in a wheelchair for another 90 minutes or so. After I put pressure on the hospital staff, they started taking personal care of Manoj,” Mr Sai Nath said.
When contacted for their version, Gandhi Hospital authorities on Tuesday afternoon said they were in a meeting. They did not respond to multiple calls and messages thereafter.
On Sunday, Hospital Superintendent M. Raja Rao said that teams of doctors including physicians, anaesthetists, pulmonologists and himself frequently attended Manoj, and that he could not be revived though they tried their level best.