Covid-positive husband begged for water, I was molested while caring for him: Bihar woman narrates horror
The second wave of coronavirus in India hit us hard. The impact of Covid-19 has been physical, financial and taken a profound toll on the mental health of people. While there have been stories of goodwill that have kept hope alive, those of mistrust where people have used the crisis to take advantage of others have also come to light.
One such incident has been reported from Bihar's Bhagalpur where a woman reportedly fought against the odds for around a month in her efforts to keep her husband alive. Her husband succumbed to Covid-19 at a private hospital in Patna this month.
In a heart-wrenching video, which has been widely shared on social media, the woman has alleged that while she was making attempts to get her Covid-positive husband treated, she was sexually harassed by the staff at a hospital in Bihar.
She has also blamed medical negligence for her husband’s death. She also accused the hospital of selling oxygen in black.
'Attendant pulled my dupatta, kept hand on my waist'
In the video, the woman said she and her husband came to Bihar from Noida in March to celebrate Holi. She said her husband fell ill on April 11 and got himself tested twice for coronavirus, but the results were negative. She said a doctor in Noida asked him to get a chest CT, which showed an infection of the lungs. A day later, the man and her mother were admitted to Glocal Hospital in Bhagalpur.
Accusing the hospital of negligence, the woman said attendants were missing and refused to give medicines. She alleged that her husband, who was struggling, would signal for water but wasn’t given any. The woman added that she requested an attendant to help her stay at the hospital. She said she was speaking to her husband when she realised someone was pulling her dupatta when she was speaking with her husband.
“My mother started shouting. I turned around. He [The attendant] was smiling with his hand on my waist. I snatched the dupatta, but couldn't say anything because I was afraid.”
, ,
! pic.twitter.com/Y2xLsklU0G
— Pappu Yadav (@pappuyadavjapl) May 10, 2021
She said she was afraid that he would do something to her mother or her husband if she raised an alarm. She said the man returned and told her: ‘Don’t worry. I will take care.”
Her ordeal didn’t end here.
'Hospital staff would watch movies on phone as patients cried for help'
The woman said her husband’s condition worsened, after which he was referred for treatment in Mayaganj. She alleged that doctors at the Bhagalpur Government Hospital refused to attend to her husband or give him oxygen despite her cries.
She also alleged that doctors and staff at Mayaganj would turn off lights in their rooms and would watch movies on their mobile phones even as people died.
From Mayaganj, the husband of the woman was moved to Rajeshwar Hospital in Patna. She said she tried to get him to Delhi via an air ambulance but couldn’t because of his deteriorating condition.
'Hospital would sell oxygen cylinder for Rs 50,000'
The woman said the situation was no different here. She accused the hospital staff of negligence. She alleged that the staff at the hospital cut her husband’s oxygen supply due to which she was forced to buy cylinders from the black market. The hospital sold an oxygen cylinder for Rs 50,000 each, she alleged.
Appealing to people to take care of their loved ones and not trust hospitals, the woman said she didn’t lose her partner to coronavirus, but medical negligence and the fear of losing oxygen.
During the second wave of Covid-19, Bihar is one of the states that has been the worst affected. On Monday, 75 Covid-19 casualties were reported in Bihar raising the death toll to 3357, while the total number of confirmed cases crossed the six-lakh mark.
Also Read | India's Covid collapse: Lack of health infrastructure exacerbates the situation
Also Read | Volunteers move critical Covid patient to hospital on two-wheeler in Kerala, win praise from CM Vijayan