A 26-year-old accident victim in Telangana succumbed to his injuries after his friends alleged that it was a result of shuttling between two government hospitals in Hyderabad.
The Times of India reported:
L Prakash suffered injuries when his bike skidded on the highway near Gajwel on Sunday evening, He was first shifted to Gajwel area hospital where doctors detected a head injury and referred him to Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad. Gandhi authorities, citing defunct CT machine, in turn referred Prakash to Osmania General Hospital at 8.30pm to diagnose his exact nature of head injuries. However, at 10.30pm, Osmania doctors told attendants of Prakash to take him back to Gandhi citing lack of a spare ventilator in the neurosurgery ward.
Prakash, who was a second year intermediate student in Nalgonda, died later that night in the Gandhi hospital.
The TOI report also adds that he was the sole earner for his widowed mother and his friends attended his funeral at his native village at Begumpeta on Monday evening.
However, the hospitals have denied these allegations. Dr J V Reddy, Superintendent of the Gandhi hospital, told the media that Prakash was taken away by friends and family after a short visit to the hospital,and was not made to shift by the doctors.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, superintendent of OGH Dr GVS Moorthy said, "The staff said they did not ask the patient to leave the hospital. There is no shortage of beds or ventilators. I have instructed the staff to utilise beds from other wards if need be."
Meanwhile, the Telangana State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has taken notice of the incident on the basis of a complaint by a human rights organization and asked for a report by November 10.
"We have asked govern ment authorities to file their counter. Based on the report, we will take up the hearing of both parties," D Subramanyam, secretary of SHRC, told TOI.