Health Minister Eatala Rajender has dismissed the charges that the death of a 34-year-old patient at the Government Chest Hospital at Erragadda was because of the “indifference” on the part of doctors.
The Minister said the patient approached the Chest Hospital as a last resort and the doctors tried their best to effectively treat him. The patient who was admitted to the hospital had co-morbidities and tested positive for COVID-19. “Though thousands are being sent home after being cured, misinformation campaign is under way on social media when incidents like the one at Chest Hospital occur. It is not proper to cast aspersions on the medical personnel who are risking their lives to treat COVID-19 patients,” the Minister said.
The remarks assume significance as a video by the deceased alleging that oxygen supply to him was cut off despite his pleas went viral on Sunday. Chest Hospital superintendent Mahboob Khan, however, denied the allegations and said the patient was provided with oxygen support all the time as could be seen from the nasal prongs in the video. The patient suffered a heart attack which was induced by COVID-19, Dr. Khan said.
The Minister said the government had made arrangements to deploy 150 additional ambulances to ensure that those complaining of symptoms of COVID-19 were picked up from their homes and taken to hospitals for check-ups.
Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar said steps were being taken to streamline the available mechanisms at every level and ensure that tests were conducted wherever necessary. Some of the private labs where tests were conducted reported high positivity rate and a report had been called for to verify the same.