VIJAYAWADA: It was a disturbing Sunday (August 9) for denizens of Vijayawada as 10 Covid-19 patients lost their lives in a fire that broke out at Swarna Palace, which was taken on lease by Ramesh Hospitals to run a Covid Care Centre.
One among the many who stood outside the mortuary of New Government General Hospital in the city, which is a State Covid-19 Hospital, was Savitri (name changed).
She rushed to the hotel soon after she saw the news of fire on television. As she could not find her husband Rajesh (name changed) among those who were rescued, she rushed to the hospital where the injured were taken. Unfortunately, she had to end up outside the mortuary as Rajesh was not found at the hospital as well.
“He was asymptomatic and had almost recovered. We were so happy as he was about to be discharged the next day on August 10. We never thought that his body would come home instead of him. I felt like someone had taken away all the life from me when I saw his charred body at the mortuary,” said Savitri who broke down while sharing her grief with TNIE.
Adding to Savitri, her elder son questioned, “I do not understand that how can life savers and life givers be so careless while handling and treating their patients? My father was a humble person with helping nature. He used to feed destitutes and stray dogs everyday. He always wished to have a normal death, but this is what he got and that also because of someone else’s mistake.”
It is a big loss for Savitri. But a bigger problem of helping her children grow in their lives after losing the sole breadwinner of the family awaits her. “We admitted him to private hospital thinking that he would get a separate room and better treatment. The management had asked us more fees, but we were ready to pay because we wanted him to get well soon. I wish we had some intuition of not admitting him to Ramesh Hospitals,” she said.
Savitri is left behind with two sons who are still studying. “I am really thankful to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for announcing `50 lakh ex gratia for the hotel fire victims. I will use the money for paying fees for my children’s education. I hope that my elder son who will finish his studies in next two years, will get a decent job to run our house. Till then this ex gratia amount is our only income source to survive,” said Savitri.