It has been over four months that the world has been battling with COVID-19. In order to combat the spread of the virus, India too had announced a nationwide lockdown on March 24, 2020. It is almost 50 days since the country has been in lockdown but the respite does not seem to be in sight.
Mumbai has been one of the worse impacted cities in the country and the numbers keep increasing with every passing day. During this time, it has become very difficult for people who deal with other ailments, except coronavirus, to get treatment. To ease this out, BMC had forced all private clinics to start functioning or have their license revoked. While that order is in place, Mumbai Live has learned about a shocking incident that has come to light.
On Friday, May 8, 2020, 39-year old Anup Kumar complained of chest pain. He was declared dead the same date but his dead body has not been handed over to the next of the kin as yet. As per protocols, the hospitals are required to do COVID-19 testing before handing over the same. However, even four days after Anup's demise, his COVID test results have not been released yet and the kin struggles.
Anup hailed from Kerala and was stuck in Mumbai because of the lockdown. He was staying alone in the office guest house and hence when he needed help, there was no one else apart from the office staff to turn to. The admin executive stays close to the place and rushed to the guest house. On reaching, he found that Anup was lying on the floor unconscious.
After trying to get the ambulance, the office boy called another colleague who stayed nearby and suggested that Anup be rushed to a trauma centre at Jogeshwari. Upon reaching, they were informed that the hospital is not taking any such cases.
Together, the office staff took Anup to LifeLine hospital located in Malad West. Upon reaching this hospital, a doctor and nurse came out and checked him in the car itself. Narrating the incident to Mumbai Live, Anup's colleague said, "After checking Anup, the doctor announced that they are unable to find his pulse and heartbeat. They further advised us to take him to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali West".
Another hospital, same procedure. The doctor took about 20 minutes to come and examine and pronounced him dead. The colleagues were asked to take a stretcher and bring his body inside. They got started on his paperwork and the body shifted to the morgue and they were briefed about the process that the body will first be tested for coronavirus and only after the results are released, they would know the further actions. Both were also informed that the coronavirus test result would be given in two days and they should get in touch with the doctors at the hospital, on Sunday evening.
Since Sunday, a senior executive from the team is visiting the hospital to collect the results and Anup's body, so that the arrangements can be made to send the body to Kerala. Sadly, every day, all they get to hear is that the results are awaited and the team refuses to give any timeline.
On Monday, after a long argument, the Shatabdi Hospital finally revealed that the swap samples had been sent to a lab in Goregaon West. When Anup's peer got in touch with the lab, they were told that the samples were yet to reach them. After making several calls and asking favours, it was only by Tuesday afternoon that the samples could be traced. Lab officials claimed that the hospital in question had not shared the required information with them and some key details were missing.
Four days later, the reports are still awaited. While the lab has assured that the results will be shared, his family and colleagues are only waiting to put him at peace.
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