Karnataka: Family on bed hunt rushes to chief minister’s house, patient dies on way to hospital

BENGALURU: Stepping out of the ambulance in which her husband, 45, was battling for life, Manjula pleaded with cops to let her into the chief minister’s residence to meet BS Yediyurappa on Thursday. “We’ve visited more than 10 hospitals seeking an ICU bed for my husband. We want to request him to get us a bed in any hospital,” she said.
The cops tried to send her away, saying the CM’s house was a no-go area for a Covid patient and family. But she fought her tears and said: “The government need not pay a single rupee for my husband. But please arrange a bed for him.”
Manjula’s husband Satish died in the ambulance while heading to the hospital.
The heart-rending incident unfolded on Thursday morning in front of the entrance of Yediyurappa’s official residence on Kumara Park Road. Though the CM’s office arranged a bed at MS Ramaiah Hospital, Manjula’s husband Satish died in the ambulance while heading to the hospital. While Satish became a Covid statistic for the state government, the reality is that a family lost its breadwinner despite not giving up till the last minute. In the second wave, Manjula is the first person to go to the CM’s residence seeking help.
Spatients ources said search 500 for critical ICU beds and ventilators in Bengaluru every day.
Satish, a private company employee, was in home isolation after testing positive. His health started deteriorating on Wednesday night. His family summoned an ambulance around 1am and Manjula, accompanied by her elder brother and two others, searched for beds in 10 different hospitals till dawn. When their efforts turned futile, they hoped to knock on the CM’s door. Parking the ambulance a few feet from the main gate around 9am on Thursday, Manjula and her brother told the guards they wanted to meet the CM.
“We don’t want free treatment. Please arrange a bed. I want my husband to live long. We will spend the money for him,” she said. When there was commotion, cops and CMO personnel said a bed had been arranged at MS Ramaiah Hospital. The family left the premises around 9.30am but Satish died before he reached the hospital.