Removed my ventilator: Coronavirus patient's last heartbreaking message to father
A 34-year-old man in Hyderabad, Telangana, succumbed to COVID-19 disease last week. In a heartbreaking video (his last) that he sent to his father, he said he couldn't breathe as hospital authorities allegedly removed his ventilator support. The man died on Friday night but the incident gained attention on Sunday. However, the Government Chest Hospital in Erragadda, where he was admitted, dismissed the allegations.
Man fell ill on June 24, died two days later
The distraught father, who had to bid goodbye to his young son in a heart-rendering manner, said he was unwell since June 24. After being turned away by several hospitals, the deceased was finally admitted to the Chest Hospital. An NDTV report claimed he was denied admission by at least 10 private hospitals. The man passed away on June 26.
Bye daddy: Man's message to father from the hospital bed
From the hospital bed, the man sent a short video message, saying, "They have removed the ventilator and have not been responding to my plea for the last three hours to provide oxygen support." He said that his heart had stopped working, and only the lung was functioning. "I am unable to breathe, daddy. Bye daddy. Bye all, bye daddy," he said.
The father heard the message after conducting last rites
The father said he saw the video after returning home from his last rites. "What happened to my son should not happen to anyone else. Why was my son denied oxygen? Did anyone else need it urgently and so they took it away from him? When I hear that video of my son, my heart breaks," the grieving father said.
Six more members were exposed to the deceased
The family learned that the son had contracted the virus after they received a call from a private hospital, that had collected his samples. Reeling under the shock of losing their loved one, the family is also worried about others. The deceased's parents, wife, brother, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law were in close contact with him. The father lamented no one was helping them with tests.
The man's kids don't know he is no more
"We got test results so late and the hospital just handed over the body. No one is conducting any tests on us. I have two young grandchildren, my son's 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son, who still don't even know their father is dead," he said.
Ventilator wasn't removed, said senior officer of hospital
Responding to the allegation of allegedly removing the ventilator, Chest Hospital Superintendent Mahboob Khan said this wasn't the case. The patient's condition was serious when he was admitted, Khan claimed. The senior medical officer said the patient died of heart collapse and doctors tried their best to save him. He asserted coronavirus is affecting the hearts of younger patients and lungs of elder ones.
Apparently, oxygen supply is not enough in some cases
"Usually, aged people die because of the collapse of the lungs. We are seeing a new phenomenon of people in the age group of 25-40 years succumbing because of viral infection in the heart. They will be provided oxygen but, they feel it insufficient," he said.
