BENGALURU: Mohammad Fayaz’s oxygen level was at 85 when his family first reached out to an ERT volunteer, seeking help to find an ICU bed. As the BBMP processes took their own time, according to Fayaz’s family, the 45-year-old Covid patient’s oxygen level plummeted further to 79 by the time he was able to secure a bed at KC General Hospital on May 20.
“His CT scan results were not good. Staffers at the hospital updated us daily saying his oxygen levels were improving but when he checked a few days later, on his own, it was still 79. We were asked to buy medicines from outside but the nurses administered them only four days later. His condition was not improving,” said Zeeshan, Fayaz’s son, questioning the point of going to a government hospital if they had to spend Rs 1,500 on medicines. Worried at the lack of progress, they shifted him to a private hospital on May 25.
At the private hospital, the doctors said the medicines prescribed were not needed for Fayaz, a Madrassa teacher. When TNIE shared the details of this case with Medical Superintendent of KC General Hospital, Dr B R Venkateshaiah, he said the medicines prescribed were the ones mentioned by the previous hospital from where he was referred to them.
“The patient insisted on having the same medicines. We did not have the stock, so we asked to buy it from outside. He was recovering and was ready to be shifted to the general ward but he got himself discharged against medical advice. The staffers said there was no negligence in monitoring oxygen levels or administering medicines,” he said.