Five Bhopal Gas Tragedy Survivors Succumb To Coronavirus

Bhopal: The coronavirus pandemic has claimed five lives in Bhopal so far.

The people who succumbed to the deadly virus were survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, the officials said on Wednesday.

An organization working for the welfare of gas tragedy survivors claimed that they are at least five times more vulnerable to the coronavirus and even requested the state government to take special care for them.

Since most of the survivors suffer from respiratory, cardiovascular, kidney problems, and cancer, therefore, there are increased chances of them contracting the infection, said the organizations in a letter to the authorities on March 21.

“Instead of paying special attention to the needs of Bhopal gas survivors, the state government took over the only super-speciality Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre for them, and turned it into a medical facility for COVID-19 patients,” member of the NGO Bhopal Group for Information and Action, Rachna Dhingra, was quoted by PTI as saying.

According to the NGOs, no gas mishap survivor is allowed to take treatment in the hospital for the last 22 days. Demanding a dedicated medical facility for them, the NGOs have filed a written plea in the Madhya Pradesh High Court.