A day after prominent journalist Rohit Sardana succumbed to the Wuhan Coronavirus infection, netizens took to Twitter to demand an independent investigation into the circumstances leading to his death. Sardana tested positive for the Coronavirus and suffered a heart attack on Friday morning.
BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga tweeted, “Brother Rohit Sardana was administered an injection, which did not suit his body. No senior doctor was present at the time of his treatment. There needs to be a probe whether this is a case of medical negligence. #JusticeForRohitSardana”
BJP leader and doctor Richa Rajpoot lamented how a physically and mentally fit individual such as Rohit Sardana died within hours of hospitalisation. “A mentally strong and fit person like rohit sardana with mild corona symptoms who never had heart attack and heart disease history died within few hour hospitalization in ICU care in a Superspeciality Hospital . Not justified #JusticeForRohitSardana,” she wrote.
Popular Twitter user Ankit Jain also pointed out how the episode appeared ‘fishy’ to the public eye. “Rohit bhaiya was an asset to the nation. Every line of treatment given to him should be made public. There are certain things, which look fishy in this entire timeline. #JusticeForRohitSardana”
BJP MLA Sanju Devi had also demanded for a high-level probe into the death of Rohit Sardana. “I demand high-level investigation against Metro Hospital, Noida for medical negligence in Rohit Sardana’s death,” she tweeted.
Advocate Gaurav Goel wrote, “Investigation will reveal about medical negligence. #JusticeForRohitSardana”
Another Twitter user named Tanmay requested the Yogi Adityanath government to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by a DG rank officer to probe the death of Rohit Sardana. “If required CBI enquiry should also be recommended,” he concluded.
Coronavirus patients have a high risk of death due to heart attack: Research
While the possibility of ‘medical negligence’ cannot be ruled out in the untimely demise of prominent news anchor Rohit Sardana, research shows that chances of death are higher for a Covid infected patient if he suffers a heart attack.
According to a research paper published by the European Heart Journal in February this year, Coronavirus patients who suffer a heart attack are more likely to die as compared to those not infected by Coronavirus. “Our study clearly shows that cardiac arrest and COVID-19 is a very lethal combination. Patients with the coronavirus should be monitored intensively and measures taken to prevent cardiac arrest, for instance with the use of continuous heart monitors for patients at high risk,” noted Dr. Pedram Sultanian, who conducted the study.
An article on the official website of Harvard University states, “The SARS-CoV-2 virus can damage the heart in several ways. For example, the virus may directly invade or inflame the heart muscle, and it may indirectly harm the heart by disrupting the balance between oxygen supply and demand.”
“Heart injury, which may be measured by elevated levels of the enzyme troponin in the bloodstream, has been detected in about one-quarter of patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 illness. Of these patients, about one-third have pre-existing CVD,” it added.