New Delhi, May 4 : Even as the Union Health Ministry has clearly given directions to the states to ensure that medical care is not denied to non-Covid patients during the coronavirus pandemic but incidents of patients being turned away from the hospitals are coming to the light off and on.
The recent case is of 54-year-old Sultan, a resident of northeast Delhi who has been struggling to get admission in the hospitals during this pandemic and lockdown but has been facing rebuffs from everywhere.
According to his nephew Sajid, Sultan's condition is deteriorating in the absence of medical care.
"My uncle needs immediate hip replacement but no hospital is ready to admit him due to the ongoing pandemic situation," Sajid told IANS.
He also said that Sultan has been struggling to get medical attention since the initial days of the pandemic and now the condition of his hip needs urgent medical care, failing to which he may even lose his life.
"We have taken him to three hospitals but all of them denied admission.
Yesterday I took him to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, the hospital turned us away and even scolded us. Doctors there asked us to come after the coronavirus disease gets over," Sajid said.
IANS tried speaking to Sultan but Sajid said he was not able to speak due to pain.
"We first took him to Urban hospital where they conducted many tests. They called him every week for tests in the month of April and gave medicines but on April 27, they finally said that we should come after the lockdown," Sajid told IANS.
After this, the family took Sultan to St Stephen's hospital but they demanded Rs 2 lakh, which, he said, was unaffordable for the family.
"Until now, my uncle was surviving on medicines but now his hip bone has completely rotted from the pus.
He says he cannot bear the pain anymore," said Sajid.
Fifteen years ago, Sultan had suffered an injury to his hip in an accident.
Sajid said that time, it was cured with medicines but for last two three years the wound got bad with pus.
So Sultan went to various hospitals but all he received was a date for an operation, and is now struggling for medical care.
His family has sent the video to IANS and has also posted it on social media, and is expecting help from the government in this matter.
--IANS
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Source: IANS
