Published 22:13 IST, April 19th 2020
Mumbai man dies after eight hospitals allegedly fail to admit him citing shortage of beds
A 49-year-old Mumbai man residing in Worli died on Saturday after eight hospitals in the city allegedly refused to admit him citing shortage of beds
A 49-year-old Mumbai man died on Saturday after eight hospitals in the city allegedly refused to admit him citing a shortage of beds. Sudarshan Rasal, a taxi driver, had complained of severe breathlessness on Friday night after which his family rushed him from one hospital to another for almost eight hours. Sudarshan, often complained of cough and breathing problems and also suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure.
Speaking to a leading news daily, Sudarshan's brother Avidan Rasal alleged that doctors at Kasturba hospital - where he was taken - had stated that he did not have COVID-19 without even examining him or conducting any tests. It cannot be detected now whether Sudarshan died of COVID-19 as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) prohibits collecting throat swab from a dead person's body.
Sudarshan's brother alleged that he was taken to Nair hospital, St George’s, KEM, ENT hospital, Global, Hinduja and then Nanavati before returning home where he passed away in the morning. Sudarshan lived in the Worli region of Mumbai which has been a hotspot of COVID-19. Just a week ago, the Bavan Chawl in Worli - a kilometre away from Sudarshan's residence - was declared a containment zone after a person was tested positive.
135 new cases in Mumbai
With the Maharashtra government allowing partial opening of orange and green zones from Monday, its financial capital - Mumbai on Sunday, reported 135 new cases and 6 deaths. BMC stated 154 patients who had tested positive between 14th and 16th April have been added to the city's progressive tally, as the lab reports were received on Sunday. The city's tally currently stands at 2798 cases and 131 deaths.
BMC revises testing criteria
On Wednesday, BMC revised COVID-19 testing criteria, differing from the ICMR guidelines to 'avoid unnecessary testing of asymptomatic persons'. The new guidelines exclude asymptomatic high-risk persons from testing, but quarantine them. Swabs will be taken only if the asymptomatic person develops symptoms within the 14 days of quarantine. Moreover, high-risk contacts may be tested on and between 5th & 14th day of quarantine after 'careful observation', states the BMC - in spite CM Thackeray claiming 70 to 75% of the patients had very mild or no symptoms.
Updated 22:13 IST, April 19th 2020