Golden hr lost as wary hospitals turn away lawyer stricken by heart attack

Nagpur: A 56-year-old lawyer was declared dead at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), where he reportedly reached over three hours after first complaining of chest pain. The golden hour, within which heart attack patients need to reach hospital, was lost due to alleged refusal by three private hospitals to admit advocate Nitin Ambilwade. They were afraid his breathlessness was due to Covid, though he had not been tested, and tested negative after his death.
A resident of Model Mills, the lawyer’s family had rushed him to a nearby private hospital at Pardi in their car around 12.30pm on Friday. As Ambilwade was having difficulty breathing due to angina pain, the hospital refused to even provide first aid before the family could search for the right hospital in his condition.
The lawyer was taken to two more major private hospitals in Nandanwan, which too refused to admit him apprehending a Covid case.
Finally, around 4pm, the lawyer died on way to GMCH, where a swab sample was collected from the body and found to be negative on Saturday.
“Our grievance is only that he should have been provided first aid,” said advocate Nilesh, Nitin’s brother. He confirmed that Nitin died of heart attack.
The District Bar Association (DBA) has decided to raise the issue with the district administration and state government.
Sources said NMC is planning to go further and ask all hospitals to reserve some beds for such patients coming with breathing difficulties, but yet to be tested for Covid or already tested negative.
DBA president Kamal Satuja said they would be submitting a representation to home minister Anil Deshmukh, commissioner of police BK Upadhyay, and district collector Ravindra Thakre on Tuesday. Satuja said, “We are demanding authorities should take criminal action against all the three hospitals who refused to admit Ambilwade. The Supreme Court has already ruled that no emergency case should be denied hospital admission.”
Former DBA president advocate Sudeep Jaiswal demanded compensation for the deceased’s family. “The hospitals who refused to give him first aid must collectively compensate Rs2 crore to Ambilwade’s family. The refusal is against medical ethics. I also want the registration of those doctors to be cancelled,” Jaiswal said.
Officials from one of the private hospitals said the Covid quota has cut their overall beds as well as equipment availability. “The lawyer needed ventilator, which was not available. We are aware of emergency case, but right now administration’s focus is on Covid only. We have been pointing this out that non-Covid disease management is equally important. Now, should hospitals remove a ventilator from someone and put another emergency patient on it,” they said.