Man tests positive at IGIA, daughter claims no assistance provided, services delayed

On Saturday, a Gurgaon-based woman alleged that her father, who tested positive for Covid at the airport, was not provided medical assistance and had to wait for hours for a wheelchair and an ambulance.

In a social media post, a woman shared the details of the incident. “My family was travelling back from Turkey. We landed at 4.50 am at the Delhi airport where we were tested for Covid… We took the rapid test and tested positive… My father is a diabetes and BP patient who needs to eat at regular intervals. Having stayed up for over 20 hours… (his) BP shot up. We screamed for medicine, but nobody helped… my father couldn’t walk… We begged authority after authority for a doctor… When I live-tweeted the incident, the airport straight away tweeted and I quote ‘medical facilities are paid’…,” alleged the woman in her post.

She also posted videos of her father sitting on a chair, purportedly waiting for a wheelchair, while airport staffers take wheelchairs for other passengers. After a delay of over two hours, an ambulance was arranged, she said.

The Delhi International Airport Limited responded on Twitter: “… We found that your family was coming from an ‘at-risk’ country. This required a secondary Covid-19 check at the airport. We noticed there was a delay on part of the airline concerned in arranging a wheelchair and the airport operator’s staff had to intervene to expedite the process. We have noted down your feedback and shared it with them for corrective action…”

An official said they were on a connecting flight from Turkey.

Airport officials said there are officials of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority inside the premises who take care of incoming passengers, their testing and medical services. A DDMA official said, “Wheelchair facility is available and there is always a doctor present at the airport. We are doing everything to run things smoothly and people also need to have patience. They were a little hassled as they tested positive, but the issue was resolved.”