My father could have been alive if MGM hospital, Warangal had a ventilator mask

Warangal: A 50 year-old-man died of COVID-19, three days after he was admitted to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Warangal district of Telangana. The family has now alleged negligence of the doctors resulting in his death. While this is not a stand-alone in the district government hospital.

Bereaved son of the deceased Harshith Beera Prasad explained, “My father Prasad Beera was tested COVID positive. On 22nd July his health condition deteriorated and was taken to the MGM hospital. Initially, admission was put on hold as the COVID reports were missing, for hours my father who complained of breathlessness sat on a chair, waiting for a bed.

Upon finding the reports, getting a bed was another task for the family. “ The medical staff asked us to fetch a bed ourselves. On day one of the admission, he was subjected to anti-viral drugs. The staff complained of the lack of medicines, the nurse had asked us to purchase cannula from outside the hospital. Later, the nurse could not inject him as she didn't find his vein. However, with great difficulty, he was subjected to medicines".

“Three days later, his condition further deteriorated, he complained of shortness of breath. When I looked around, I found no junior doctor or nurse to attend to him. My father was fighting for breath. When I finally found one doctor, he refused to attend citing he was an orthopaedic PG student. At the time when my father needed urgent medical attention, the COVID ward was without a single doctor” he said.

After the family questioned the hospital authorities over the absence of staff, Harshith’s father Prasad was rushed to the emergency ward and placed on a ventilator. However, the hurdles did not stop there, the staff told the family that the hospital dint have a ventilator mask.

“ It was unbelievable, the hospital dint have a ventilator mask for more than 6 days. After hours of search, I found a mask with the help of a friend’s father. The staff in the ICU has no clue how the place the mask on the face and also they had no idea how to set up the new ventilator, they cited it was a different model” he said.

Tragedy struck the family when the man passed away 5 minutes after he was placed on the ventilator.

According to the family, the man complained of breathless at 2 PM, hours into the search for doctors, nurses and a ventilator mask, he passed away at 5 PM . "Around 40 minutes later after he took his last breath, we saw a sealed mask lying in a box placed on the ventilator.Upon questioning the staff who came to pick it up, they turned their back without answering. My father would have been alive if the staff was available on time if Ventilator mask was available” he said.

Hospital authorities at the MGM have not responded to calls. Their version will be updated.