Non-COVID patients complain of apathy despite govt's assurance
New Delhi: Amid the deluge of COVID-19 related patients in hospitals across the Delhi NCR, reports of apathy to non-COVID-19 and critical patients has raised concern. Families of many of the patients having a past record of critical illness have alleged either denying proper treatment or holding of bodies to ascertain whether the deceased is Corona positive or not. Such incidents are being reported even after regular appeals by concerned authorities to take non-COVID-19 patients seriously. The Delhi government, in a recent order for hospitals and clinics in the National Capital, has directed them to remain functional and ensure the treatment of such patients. Non-complaince of the same will attract serious action.
Family of a 13-year-old girl, Gunjan, alleged that her body was not released for 10 days by a government hospital in his nearby locality as the hospital authority was waiting for her Corona report. My daughter died because of improper treatment and her body was kept for almost 10 days. Finally when her negative report came and the body was released. During the crisis, we approached almost all authorities but no one took care of our concern," said Ravinder Sharma, father of the deceased who lives in the Najafgarh area.
Son of the one, Zahida, narrating ordeal of his family said that her mother was a kidney patient and was being treated at leading government hospital. In the last week of April, when her condition deteriorated, they approached the hospital. She died at hospital premises in absence of proper treatment. Her body was not released for almost four days. "The hospital kept my mother's body for four days and once the negative report came, the body was released. The harsh reality is that she died because of the hospital's apathy. We will take care of four siblings among which one is 7-year-old," said her son.
One family from East Delhi's Krishna Nagar and another from Model Town alleged the same claiming that body of the deceased was not released for a few days. In Krishna Nagar's case, the matter was raised before the local MLA as the deceased's body was reportedly kept for 12 days by a government hospital. In the case of Krishna Nagar, the family alleged that the body of the deceased was kept for five days and only released after the Corona report came negative.
In a stern warning, the Delhi government on Thursday ordered private hospitals in the city to not deny treatment to non-COVID-19 patients, saying flouting of the directives will invite punitive measures, including cancellation of license. The order came amid reports of some private hospitals denying critical services like dialysis, blood transfusion, and chemotherapy on account of contracting COVID-19.
The health department has issued an order warning all non-COVID private hospitals and nursing homes against denial of treatment to patients and said their license will be cancelled for non-compliance of its directives.
"It has come to notice that some hospitals in the private sector are hesitating in providing critical services such as dialysis, blood transfusion, chemotherapy and institutional deliveries to their regular patients either on account of fear of contracting COVID-19 or they are keeping their hospitals/clinics closed. It is also noticed that in many places the hospitals/clinics are insisting on a COVID-19 test before providing services," the order stated.
