Victim Of Apathy: COVID Patient Dies After Staging Dharna With Oxygen Mask

Representational image.

Nashik: In a shocking incident of apathy, a 38-year-old man died here while protesting with his oxygen mask on. He had tested positive for COVID-19, but was refused admission by several hospitals.

Babasaheb Kole, the victim, was seen sitting on a dharna outside the Nashik municipal corporation premises wearing an oxygen mask attached to a cylinder, NDTV online reported.

Corporation officials noticed him and took him to a municipal hospital. But his oxygen level dropped to 40 per cent at night, according to Kole’s family. He passed away at 1 am.

The report quoted his wife as saying that the family failed to get him admitted to a hospital.

“Three days ago he was taken to Bytco (Hospital). From there, he went to another hospital, and from there to the government Medical College. Medical College said there was no empty bed. We then went to other hospitals but nobody admitted him. Then we came back to civil (hospital) and put him on oxygen. Nobody heard us,” she narrated.

Police and the municipal authorities are probing the incident to find out what led to Kole’s plight.