A man who was suffering from severe illness died in a car outside a private hospital in Kalaburagi on Wednesday after he was unable to get an ICU bed and ventilator.
As per accounts of his family members, they took the patient, Shankara (50) from Kalagi village, in the car to several hospitals in the city, including government and private facilities, searching for an ICU bed but in vain, before going to Satya Hospital, a private COVID-19 hospital.
“Before the relatives could make enquiries about the availability of bed at Satya Hospital, the patient died in the car itself,” an eyewitness said.
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When contacted, District Health and Family Welfare Officer Sharanabasappa Ganajalkhed said: “We are not aware of the incident. We did not get any information about the patient even through our helpline. We have clearly directed all hospitals in the district to admit patients even if there were no ICU beds available and treat them in the general ward till ICU beds become available. We are going to establish a makeshift hospital to meet the growing demand for hospital beds,” he told