Nanda Binawat's funeral was held two hours after her death. (Representational image) A 43-year-old woman from Kondhwa died on Monday morning after her family’s efforts, for over seven hours, to find an oxygen bed in civic and private hospitals in Pune city proved futile.
The woman, Nanda Binawat, had been unwell for a few days and had undergone a Covid test on Saturday. Around 11 pm on Sunday, her condition suddenly deteriorated and she suffered from breathlessness. Nanda also suffered from diabetes and BP problems.
Her husband Anil and son Rahul then drove around the city for the next four to five hours, looking for an oxygen bed.
“We went to at least five to six top hospitals in Pune city and even went to a prominent hospital Pimpri-Chinchwad. We made 10-20 calls from our cellphone to different hospitals but none of the hospitals were ready to admit my mother. The doctors in those hospitals told us that my mother’s oxygen level had dipped and she badly needed an oxygen or a ventilator bed,” Rahul Binawat told The Indian Express on Monday evening.
Rahul said they desperately pleaded with the hospitals to at least provide his mother basic treatment but the doctors said Nanda needed oxygen or ventilator support. “No hospital was ready to give her any kind of treatment,” he said.
After failing to find an oxygen bed in any of the hospitals, the family returned home around 4 am. “Then one of our close relatives, who works with a private hospital, asked us visit his hospital. However, they did not find a bed even there. The family then contacted the PMC war room and the officials asked her to take a Covid test again at Sassoon Hospital,” said Akash Kumbhar, her nephew.
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As the family was heading towards Sassoon Hospital, the woman fell unconscious. “The doctors at Sassoon examined her and declared her dead… The doctors said her oxygen level had dipped to 35 per cent,” said Kumbhar.
Nanda died at 7.30 am on Monday. She is survived by her husband and three children.
Nanda had developed fever on April 9. “My mother had slight fever till Friday… on Saturday, she was okay. But late on Sunday evening, she had breathing trouble, after which we started to search for the bed,” said Rahul.
Kumbhar said, “I had spoken to my aunt three-four days ago. She was sounding all right and had no fever or any other symptoms… I think if she had got an oxygen bed, she would have survived. Her death only highlights the pathetic medical and health system in our city.”
Nanda’s test report was received around 8.30 pm on Monday, over 12 hours after her death. She had tested positive for Covid-19.
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