THOOTHUKUDI
Tension prevailed along the 4th Street of Tooveypuram here on Monday evening after a 60-year-old male COVID – 19 positive patient was mistakenly discharged from the Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital on the third day of his admission.
After the old man tested positive on Saturday, he was admitted to the treatment ward of Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital. When he got down from the autorickshaw at 4 p.m. on Monday after being discharged from the hospital on the third day itself, the residents of 4th street of Tooveypuram were bewildered on seeing the old man back in their midst.
“Even as the barricades erected at both the entrances of our street are still intact and the police are still guarding the barricades to check the entry of outsiders, the infected man has returned. This is really a disturbing development,” said one of the residents.
While some of the residents contacted the Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital authorities over the phone to know if he was actually discharged from the hospital or he had escaped from the ward, others informed the Corporation officials about the COVID -19 positive patient’s presence in their area.
On coming to know about the incident, Collector Sandeep Nanduri alerted the Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital authorities to check the mess and the Corporation officials too rushed to the residence of the patient to take him back to the hospital.
“It’s an absolute mess caused by similarity of names of two patients. The hospital authorities could have been a bit cautious while discharging the patients,” said a senior Corporation official.
Tension subsided after the 108 Emergency Ambulance took the patient back to Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital around 6.15 p.m.
Now, the Corporation officials are on the lookout for the autorickshaw driver who took the patient from the hospital to his house.
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