Bhopal: Six COVID-19 patients, who were survivors of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, have died in the last two weeks in the state capital due to the lack of treatment and unavailability of beds, while the government ignores the responsibility.
This news comes after four people died due to lack of oxygen in Dewas district, a week ago. Earlier a nine-day old decomposed body of a man was found in the mortuary of Indore’s government-run MY Hospital. Two days later, a dead body of a newborn was found lying unattended for days in a carton in the same mortuary on September18.
The gas survivors’ organisations said that the gas tragedy survivors, who were being treated at the Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre, a dedicated hospital for gas-hit victims, lost their lives because the hospital admin not only failed to provide them treatment and ventilator, but also failed to refer them to any other COVID-19 hospital. More gas-hit victims may lose their lives as all 10 beds and four ventilators are still occupied and several patients are waiting in the isolation ward to be treated or transferred to other COVID-19 dedicated hospitals.
“The gas-hit victims are neither getting ICU beds in government-run AIIMS, Hamidia nor in private hospitals like Chirayu, JK Hospital. They were left to die in BMHRC isolation ward without treatment,” said one of the organisations. “The city is facing shortage of Oxygen and ICU facilities for COVID patients. Keeping the vulnerability of gas victims in view, BMHRC should have prepared for this crisis. We are hopeful that the Monitoring Committee will direct BMHRC to start a 40 ICU & HDU (high dependency unit) bed unit to cater to gas victims suffering from COVID-19 at the earliest,” an official said.
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