The death of a journalist of a popular television channel D Manoj Kumar due to Coronavirus in Gandhi hospital has landed the Telangana government led by K Chandrasekhar Rao in the most embarrassing situation.
What caused embarrassment to the KCR government is not the death, but the pathetic conditions the journalist had exposed in Gandhi hospital. The conversation between him and his brother Sainath, who is also undergoing treatment for Corona in Gandhi Hospital, showed all is not well with the hospital.
“ICU is not good. Please, let’s go to a private hospital. No one is taking care here” – this was the message Manoj had sent to his brother at 3.46 pm on June 6. In less than 24 hours, the journalist died.
The WhatsApp chat indicated that nobody was bothering about them in the hospital and no doctor had seen the journalist for nearly 12 hours after admission. There was no oxygen support for him in the ICU despite repeated request. “Please, let’s go from here,” he texted his brother.
Sainath said that it was only after Manoj’s friends in the media made calls to the Health Minister that they began taking good care of him and moved him to an isolation ward.
The Gandhi Hospital authorities and the government as usual tried to defend themselves saying everything was fine at the hospital and some people were spreading lies. They said Manoj had other comorbidity – Myasthenia Gravis, which led to his death.
An official release from the CMO last night said the government hospitals in the state have the capacity, facilities and equipment to treat Corona virus patients whatever their number may be. They expressed anguish that on this matter, some media organisations and persons are spreading false information and creating panic and confusion among the people. They have also expressed a doubt that there may be some conspiracy behind this malicious propaganda.
The doctors said since some people have filed the PILs in the court, they were made to make rounds around the court and it was creating problems for them to offer medical services to the needy. They said it was not possible to conduct Covid Tests on all those who died and the High Court’s direction in this regard cannot be implemented. They urged the state government to appeal in the Supreme Court.
