COVID-19 positive doctor turned away from three hospitals, dies

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A doctor, who was tested positive for COVID-19, died after being allegedly turned away from three hospitals in Bengaluru. According to NDTV, the deceased, identified as Dr Manjunath, was a frontline COVID-19 doctor. He was turned away from the hospitals when he was extremely ill and struggling to breathe as he was not able to produce his COVID-19 test results.

The doctor was working in the Health and Family Welfare Department of the Karnataka government and was based in the Ramanagara district. Dr Manjunath's family said that he had approached three hospitals in the city in June and they asked him for his COVID-19 report, which he could not produce at that time. His brother-in-law Nagendra, a doctor working with Bengaluru municipal body BBMP, who is responsible for allotting hospital beds, could not help him either.

On June 25, Manjunath was admitted to one of the hospitals he was earlier turned away from after his family staged a sit-in outside the campus. He was placed on ventilator and was later shifted to Bangalore Medical College, where he died on Friday. The hospital said the doctor was discharged on July 9 as he wanted plasma therapy.

Six members of Manjunath's family, including a 14-year-old, were tested positive. Most of them have recovered from the virus.

Special officer with BBMP, D Randeep, was quoted as saying that hospitals that refused to admit the doctor will be reported to the health department. He also said that hospitals have been instructed to admit patients even without certificates.

The hospitals ask for COVID-19 reports to determine whether to admit the patients in coronavirus ICU wards or general wards in order to understand the treatment protocol. Randeep also said that notices have been issued to erring hospitals and the OPD department of two city hospitals were sealed after they turned away a patient.

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