VIJAYAWADA: Mystery shrouds the disappearance of a 63-year-old man from the COVID-19 hospital -- New Government General Hospital -- in Vijayawada after he was admitted there on June 24.
Though he had not tested positive for COVID-19, his family members took him to the hospital on the advice of a private doctor as he was suffering with cough and breathlessness. When his wife went the next day to enquire about her husband's health, he was not there.
Police, who started an investigation into the case, found CCTV footage of the elderly man being taken on a wheelchair into the hospital but there were no visuals of him coming out. Hospital authorities claim that he was treated as an out-patient and not an in-patient and feigned ignorance.
The issue came to light only on Thursday when Vasantha Rao's wife Dhanalakshmi was on her way to submit a representation to Krishna District Collector A Md Imtiaz but fainted as she developed health complications.
The missing man's friend B Ramesh told The New Indian Express that on June 18, Vasantha Rao's elder brother died of health complications. Since Rao's health condition was also not stable and suspecting that he might be infected by COVID-19, he got his samples tested which turned out to be negative.
On June 23, Vasantha Rao along with his wife went to a private hospital for treatment as he was suffering from a respiratory problem. Doctors there suggested that he get examined at GGH and on June 24, he and his wife went to the hospital. Around 1:30 pm, he was taken into the hospital premises.
"Till 5:30 pm, I waited at the premises and then returned home as the medical staff told me that the test results might come late and asked me to come the next day with the Aadhaar card. For the next two days, I went to the hospital with the Aadhaar card but could not get any information about him or his health condition. The hospital authorities bluntly denied that any person with the name of Vasantha Rao was admitted there," Dhanalakshmi said.
"Vexed with the behaviour of the hospital staff, on June 29, we registered a complaint with the I Town Police Station. How can a person with low pulse rate and respiratory issues leave the hospital on his own?" Ramesh, a close associate of Vasantha Rao, said adding that the doctors and medical staff are not responding properly. "We are appealing to the district collector to intervene in the matter and render justice to us," Ramesh said.
When contacted, I Town Circle Inspector P Venkateswaralu said they registered a case under section CrPC 174 as the missing person's residence falls under their jurisdiction and took up the investigation.
"We have verified the CCTV footage of the hospital in which Vasantha Rao was seen shifted into the hospital on a wheelchair by a hospital attendant wearing a PPE kit. We are gathering the details of the hospital staff who were on duty on June 24," he said.
GGH superintendent Dr P Nanacharaiah was not available for comment. Asked about the incident, Resident Medical Officer (RMO) Dr Sobha told TNIE that Vasantha Rao enrolled for availing OP services in the hospital and there is no documented proof of his admission into the hospital. She, however, added that she was not aware of the complete details of the matter.