Man loses pregnant wife after seven hospitals deny treatment

BENGALURU: Probably the one with the heaviest heart on board the flight which left last week from Bengaluru to Chhattisgarh, would be a widower Rajkumar Puri. The autorickshaw driver, who came to Bengaluru in search of a better life, left for his village in Bilaspur, with his two young children, following the death of his pregnant wife here. 

The tragedy was the outcome of callousness and lack of humanity from seven public and private hospitals in the city. Puri roamed the entire day on April 9 and in the early hours of April 10 with his 28-year-old wife Gayatri, pleading for her to be admitted in some hospital. However, everyone sent them back for various reasons and his wife breathed her last on April 10. 

Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar told TNIE he was extremely saddened by the incident. “No doctor or hospital should ever behave like this. If I get the names of the hospitals, I will ensure action is initiated,” he said. An NGO highlighted his plight to TNIE. Speaking to this reporter over the phone, Puri said, “My wife was experiencing severe body pain and her haemoglobin count had dropped really low.” 
Puri added, “We went to many hospitals. My wife’s elder brother, Mohan Sakat, with whom we stayed, was also with us.

At every hospital, we were asked to wait, fill up forms and then later informed that admitting her was not possible.”  Saket told TNIE that one leading government hospital told him that due to Covid  issue they are not admitting anyone. “Another hospital told us the doctor was not available, and one said it was not possible to admit her. I watched my  sister dying in front of my  eyes, helplessly.”