Patients, nurses claim glaring lack of preparedness at hospital
PRASHANT ACHARYA
SILIGURI: The 45-year-old patient, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, passed away early Monday morning at North Bengal Medical College & Hospital (NBMCH) here. She was admitted in the respiratory care unit of the hospital.
NBMCH officials and State Health officials told media that the woman passed away despite several attempts made to save her life.
Hospital superintendent Kaushik Chaudhery informed that the patient expired at around 2 am on Monday.
The patient had returned home on March 19 from Chennai. She had been admitted on March 26 at NBMCH and her samples were tested at Kolkata from where it was diagnosed that she was infected with coronavirus.
Her body was taken to the electric crematorium at Saudangi at the outskirts of Siliguri cremation. No relatives were allowed to attend the funeral owing to coronavirus spread fears.
Meanwhile, a relative of the deceased, who is admitted at the NBMCH isolation ward, has alleged the hospital authorities of gross negligence and incompetence. She uploaded a video statement in social media highlighting the unhygienic room and food provided for her and her kid. We are forced to drink tap water, she said voicing concerns of her child’s health.
Several other videos have also surfaced in social media clicked by other COVID-19 suspected patients admitted at the hospital. One video shows how 2-3 patients have to share a single room and toilet. We are not even provided with sanitizers and we fear that the virus can easily spread due to lack of negligence from the hospital, they said.
Meanwhile, the nursing staffs at the NBMCH protested against the hospital authorities as they are not provided with proper safety kits and are in fear of getting infected.sikkimexpress/from
