Quick response saves one, delayed test claims another

Nagpur: A week after a patient in Kamptee town died before an ambulance could take him to the hospital, quick action by the same doctor from whom the deceased was also undergoing treatment saved a life. Another person who consulted the private practitioner, however, could not survive. Kin of the patient who died were reluctant to get a Covid test done.
Both the incidents happened within the gap of one day. The person who has survived reached the hospital on Thursday and the other incident took place on Friday.
The death of an over 50-year-old tailoring contractor at Gora Bazaar locality of Kamptee had led left the locals agitating. The two incidents happened after that.
Last week, a female patient was brought to Sneha Clinic of Dr Rajendra Dipani in Kamptee. The oxygen level had dipped to critical level. Instead of waiting to get the tests done in Kamptee first, the doctor and the Kamptee Tehsildar Arvind Hinge took a call and sent her straight to the Indira Gandhi Government Medial College (IGGMC). “She tested positive at IGGMC but has survived. The patient was administered oxygen at the government hospital in Kamptee and timely cooperation by the Tehsildar helped,” said Dipani.
The patient’s daughter gave her version of events to TOI. “My mother was first taken to another private hospital where they advised a typhoid test. Later, at Sneh Clinic we were asked to get a Covid test done soon. By the time we reached the government hospital in Kamptee, the timings for the day were over and my mother started getting breathless. She was administered oxygen but there was no arrangement in the ambulance,” she said.
The daughter, however, complained of lack of facilities at IGGMC and also said that no testing facility was open at that time in Kamptee. It was around 1:30pm when they reached.
Another female patient was, however, not so lucky. This patient was given a written note in the prescription. However, the relatives resisted and did not get the tests done. Soon, the condition deteriorated. “We had planned to send her straight to Nagpur. However, for some reason the ambulance could not be arranged at that time. The patient was taken to Nagpur in an autorickshaw. She reached there but could not be saved,” said Dipani.
“Patients should realize that early testing helps. These days every person with even slight symptoms is referred for a test. There are chances that the mild symptoms can soon turn into a severe condition,” he said.