Some eight employees, including doctors, of Apollo Hospital at Sarita Vihar in the national capital were injured after being attacked allegedly by relatives of a COVID-19 patient as she died, the hospital said.
“The patient was brought to the hospital and needed ICU, but we didn’t have ICU beds and we informed them that. We gave the patient oxygen and emergency care, but the patient passed away. The relatives then started attacking the staff,” a hospital spokesperson said. None of the hospital staff was seriously injured.
The hospital received the woman in a critical condition at the emergency unit in the early hours of Tuesday. “Immediate medical attention appropriate to her condition was given. Given the paucity of beds, the family was advised to shift the patient to another facility with available beds. Unfortunately, the patient died around 8 a.m., post which the patient’s family members resorted to vandalism, destruction of hospital property and assault on our doctors and staffers,” the hospital said.
The situation was brought under control by hospital security staffers and the police. “While the hospital deeply condoles the death of the patient, it is deeply shocked at the behaviour of the patient’s family against doctors and healthcare workers,” the statement said.
The hospital has not filed a police complaint till Tuesday evening.