A 65-year-old Kerala man, who had high fever and breathlessness, passed away on Monday morning outside the Aluva district hospital in Aluva municipality in Ernakulam district. It has been alleged that hospital authorities did not attend to the patient or provide him help after he was brought there in an ambulance. The man died an hour after he was brought to the hospital. The Kerala State Human Rights Commission has initiated suo motu proceedings in the issue.
According to witnesses, around 9.15 am on Monday, Vijayan who was working as a security guard in an apartment building near Aluva, was brought into the hospital in an ambulance with fever and breathing difficulty. The man was not taken out of the ambulance for about 45 minutes to one hour, during which time he passed away.
In visuals that have surfaced, the ambulance driver who brought the man to the hospital is heard saying the hospital officials were not ready to check the patient. “The man had walked on his own into the ambulance while we were bringing him to the hospital, that is what is making me sad. What are we ambulance drivers supposed to do?” the ambulance driver said to TV channels.
In one of the videos that has surfaced, a hospital official is heard saying that there was a shortage of staff in the hospital. Meanwhile, officials of Aluva East police station who talked to TNM said that the 'slight' delay was due to suspicion that the man had COVID-19 symptoms.
“Since he had high fever and breathing issues, the hospital suspected that he might be having COVID-19. Hospital staff had asked the ambulance driver to move the patient to another block away from the main building. It is learnt that the ambulance made a slight delay in shifting him there,” said the official.
Meanwhile, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission which has initiated suo motu proceedings has asked the director of Health Department to submit a report within three weeks on the matter. Ernakulam District Collector S Suhas has also sought a report regarding the incident from the Medical Officer of the hospital.
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