Coronavirus: Doctor who was turned away by 4 hospitals over COVID-19 fears, now on ventilator

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Amid the continuing spread of the COVID-19, a Jalgaon-based doctor with high-grade fever and breathlessness was turned away from four private hospitals. New imported coronavirus infections cases have climbed to 52 in Maharashtra and inches 200 cases in India, according to the data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

According to Indian Express, the hospitals demanded clearance from the family that the patient does not suffer from deadly novel coronavirus. Later after several hours, the doctor was admitted at Jalgaon’s Government Medical College. However, due to the delay, he is now on ventilator support.

The panic over coronavirus or COVID-19 and lack of information have fuelled fear even in private hospitals and doctors, who are turning away patients with symptoms similar to coronavirus, district health officials told Indian Express.

Meanwhile, the report also states that the doctor has no travel history of flying abroad, nor did he reported any contact with any patient who tested positive for COVID-19.

The doctor had returned from Kolhapur to his hometown Bhusawal last week and developed a fever. 

He had a high-grade fever and suffered breathlessness on Wednesday night. His family spent the entire night trying to get him hospitalised. “We first took him to his general physician, who was not there. From there we went to an intensive care hospital, but doctors there said he might have coronavirus and spread it in the hospital,” Indian Express quoted the doctor’s uncle as saying. The family then took him to three more hospitals.

“Every hospital refused to admit him. They said what if he had coronavirus. We told them he had not travelled abroad but nobody listened. We spent the entire night running from one hospital to another,” the uncle further added.

On Thursday, the family brought the doctor to the Government Medical College by 7 am where he was put on ventilator support. 

Doctors asked the family to move him somewhere else as they did not have critical care support. “That is when we approached the district collector. He ordered GMC to continue hospitalisation,” said social worker Pratibha Shinde.

“We have conducted blood tests. Since he has no travel history, a coronavirus test is not required. We are waiting for reports. He remains serious and requires ventilator support," Dr Bhaskar Khaire, dean of the hospital said, adding the doctor’s condition has deteriorated in the last few hours due to delay in treatment.

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