ROURKELA: His Covid test results pending, a critical patient with his oxygen level dipping, was made to wait for over 16 hours for admission by two privately-managed Covid facilities, in Rourkela on Monday. Even, the intervention of ADM of Rourkela was initially ignored by the hospitals.
This, despite the State government’s directive that critical patients with Covid-19 symptoms must not be denied admission to dedicated hospitals owing to non-availability or delay in receipt of test report. Till 6 pm on Monday, the 53-year-old patient was waiting for admission.
Patient’s brother Nirmal Das said his sibling’s Covid test report was pending but he had to rush him to Hi-Tech Covid hospital on Sunday evening when he complained of breathlessness following his dipping oxygen level. At the hospital, Das said, his brother was seated on a chair and provided oxygen support but the authorities concerned insisted on his Covid test report for admission. After some hours, they removed the oxygen and asked the patient to leave but since his condition deteriorated, it was fixed again.
Das said although he urged the authorities concerned to help him with the admission of his brother, no one paid heed. After eight hours of sitting outside the hospital, the patient was brought back home at 2.30 am.
On Monday morning, he sought help of Rourkela ADM and Incident Commander for Covid-19 Aboli Sunil Naravane, on whose intervention the patient was taken to the Shanti Memorial Covid hospital at about 10 am. But here too, the hospital authorities kept his brother with oxygen support on a chair and refused admission in absence of a test report.
According to Das, around 2 pm his brother’s oxygen support was removed and they were forced to leave, but with the patient’s wife’s inconsolably crying and pleading for help, they restored the oxygen. “Later the hospital collected my brother’s sample for a rapid antigen test charging `600 and till 6 pm he was not admitted to the hospital and left to suffer on the chair”, Das alleged.
Following repeated interventions of the Rourkela ADM, the patient was admitted to Shanti Memorial Hospital at 8 pm. “The government has clear instructions that hospitals cannot deny admission to critical patients with Covid-19 symptoms for want of test reports”, the ADM said and claimed that 20 patients have been admitted to designated Covid hospitals pending their test reports in the recent past.
However, there are glaring contradictions in the administration’s claim and Das’ brother is not an isolated case. Ashish Adak, a 32-year-old resident of Bondamunda, claimed that as his father’s Covid test report was pending, both Hi-Tech and Shanti Memorial hospitals denied him admission and he passed away on April 24 at home without getting treatment.
A non-Covid patient of Jharkhand was allegedly denied admission at the Hi-Tech citing that only Odisha’s patients were eligible, while other hospitals turned him down on different other pleas. Finally, the patient was shifted to Cuttack in an ambulance on April 25.
36 WB returnees escape quarantine
Baripada: Around 36 West Bengal returnees who were kept in quarantine in Seemanta Degree College, Jharpokharia since five days have reportedly fled the centre on Monday. They had been crying foul about the timing of lunch being served at the centre for quite some days. Sources said, some people from Bisoi, Jashipur, Bangiriposi and Sarashkana block in Mayurbhanj returned from West Bengal and Jharkhand via Hatibari and Jamsola.
Despite their request to serve them lunch between 12 and 1 pm, they were given lunch late everyday. Hassled, the returnees escaped from the centre three days ago. IIC Sudarshan Gangi said a home guard engaged at the centre reported the incident after which Kartik Naik, JE cum Nodal Officer of the centre filed a complaint about the missing persons. A case has been registered and enquiry is on.