After 6-hour wait, driver, 27, dies outside hospital in Karnataka

BENGALURU: Securing his BU number after a five-hour struggle and waiting for bed allocation, a Covid-positive driver, 27, died at the doorsteps of Anekal Government Hospital on the outskirts of Bengaluru city on Tuesday.
Nagesh, a resident of Haldenahalli in Anekal taluk, had fever when he came to the Anekal hospital around 10am on Tuesday. He took both rapid antigen and RT-PCR tests. The RAT confirmed that he has Covid, and Nagesh, who was already struggling with breathlessness, requested the hospital to admit him.
Driver was asked to come to hosp only with BU number
Locals said the hospital allegedly declined to admit him as he did not have a Bengaluru Urban (ID) number. He was asked to come to the hospital only with that number. Nowhere to go, Nagesh sat in the hospital building, dialling helplines to get a BU number. Around 1.30pm, Nagesh got it, but the bed was yet to be allocated. He died around 3pm.
Bengaluru Urban deputy commissioner J Manjunath said: “I am not aware of this incident and will look into it. We have to see whether it was an individual’s problem or a systemic issue which led to the incident. I will ensure it will be rectified and not repeated.” The district health officer did not respond to TOI’s repeated attempts to reach him.