COVID-19 patient who died, escaped from hospital against medical advice
A day after the country's first coronavirus death was reported from Kalaburagi in Karnataka, putting to question the government healthcare system, the officials have now clarified that the patient escaped from the health officials’ net on the insistence by his family members.
A day after the country’s first coronavirus death was reported from Kalaburagi in Karnataka, putting to question the government healthcare system, the officials have now clarified that the patient escaped from the health officials’ net on the insistence by his family members.
The man identified as Mohammed Hussain Siddiqui returned from Saudi Arabia on February 29 and was screened at Hyderabad airport. While he showed no symptoms at that time, on March 5, he was admitted to the Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences, about 575 km away from Bengaluru.
He was later shifted to a private hospital in Hyderabad and was discharged. But while he was being brought back he died on the way.
The sample was collected on March 9 by Viral Research Diagnostic Laboratory, GIMS, Kalaburgi to rule out COVID-19. The samples were dispatched to The Viral Research & Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDL) at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute.
But before test results were given, the patient had left the hospital.
“Without waiting for the test results, the family members insisted on discharging the patient. After which he was discharged against medical advice (DAMA)” the Ministry of health and family welfare issued said in a statement.
The government further clarified that the Deputy Commissioner, Kalaburgi District and the District Health Officer met the family members to convince them to admit the patient to the Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) isolation ward.
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“But they (family members) refused to listen and transferred him to Hyderabad without the patient’s knowledge,” the Ministry said.
The district officials said they have so far quarantined 46 people who came in contact with the patient. About 31 of them have been categorised as “high risk” and the remaining 15 as “low risk”. The high-risk persons are treated at ESIC Hospital in Kalburgi.
Incidentally, the state just passed a notification to contain the pandemic by giving powers to health officers to forcefully quarantine people if someone denies getting treated.
“If a suspected case of COVID-19 refuses admission or isolation, the designated officers shall have powers to forcefully admit and isolate the person for a period of 14 days, the government order said.
Upping the measures to contain the infection, the state government on Friday ordered the closure of malls, theatres and pubs for a week across the state starting March 14.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa too had called for an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the preparedness of health officials to tackle the pandemic.
The order applies to weddings, conferences, parties like birthdays and engagements, nightclubs, swimming pools, play areas, music festivals, summer camps and sporting events.
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