A day after controversy erupted over a video showing an old woman dragging her ailing husband across a Shivamogga hospital, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that he has ordered an inquiry into the matter.
On Friday, a video of Fahmida dragging her 71-year-old husband Aamir along the floors of McGann District Hospital had surfaced, causing an uproar over the absolute apathy with which patients are treated in government-run hospitals.
Fahmida had told TNM that she was forced to drag her husband Aamir to the X-ray room, after a nurse refused to give them a stretcher, as Fahmida did not have the money to pay her the Rs 100 she asked for.
The old woman was forced to drag her husband along the floor after he collapsed onto it while being escorted to the X-ray room.
On Saturday, CM Siddaramaiah said that he has ordered an official inquiry to be conducted. Taking a jibe at media persons for often "spreading fake news," the CM said that he has asked the District Health Officer (DHO), Shivamogga to enquire into and submit a report on the matter.
DHO Rajesh told TNM that although he came to know about the inquiry through media reports, he is yet to receive official word on the same.
"As of now, four staff nurses at the hospital have been suspended from duty for allegedly refusing to give the patient a stretcher. There was no shortage of stretchers at the hospital and the nurses had refused service on their own discretion and so have been suspended," the DHO said.
Hospital medical superintendent TB Satyanarayana told media persons that not only were the four staff nurses suspended, but an awareness session was conducted for all the other staff at the hospital so as to prevent such incidents in the future.
Meanwhile, BJP members reportedly protested outside the hospital on Saturday, demanding stringent action against the hospital staff.