Srinagar: Family of the second victim of COVID-19 in Kashmir who died at the Srinagar’s Chest Diseases (CD) Hospital Sunday morning, contested government’s claim and alleged that it was doctors’ “negligence” which led to his death.
Local news agency KNS, quoted the family members of the deceased Ali Mohammad (62), including his son Reyaz Ahmad of Solinda Tangmarg, as saying that his father had neither any travel history nor was he symptomatic of COVID-19 infection.
He (Reyaz) alleged “negligence” on part of doctors as leading to his father’s death.
Reyaz said that on March 25, the deceased felt some chest congestion, breathlessness and fever after which family rushed him to SMHS Hospital where doctors conducted all required tests on him including the test for coronavirus.
“A day after the tests, we were told that the COVID-19 result of the deceased was negative. However, after few hours, when the condition of my father started to deteriorate, hospital authorities contradicted their earlier statement and claimed that he had tested positive for coronavirus,” Reyaz said, adding that later his father was shifted to Chest Diseases Hospital in Dalgate, Srinagar.
According to Riyaz, they were not given any medical proof like copies of the tests or other confirming records about his father having any symptoms of COVID-19.
“For shifting my father, we were given ambulance from SHMS hospital, but once we reached the CD hospital, not a single person from medical staff assisted us to shift him inside the facility. We were shocked to see the atmosphere there” said Reyaz.
He said that the government makes “tall claims, but there is nothing to be seen on the ground.”
Reyaz alleged that “not a single doctor or paramedic at CD hospital bothered to come to visit us, despite they all being protected under full body protective gear.
“We requested the staff at CD hospital to provide us masks and gloves, but they didn’t pay any heed. We spent the past night in corridor like beggars. Medical staff treated us like untouchables,” he alleged.
When asked whether deceased had any travel history, he said, no.
“He had not travelled outside, but had met a couple in the neighborhood who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah,” Reyaz said.
Riyaz however added that the said couple has so far no COVID-19 like symptoms, and his family is unable to understand how their father contracted the infection – “if at all that is the case”.
He also said like them, many others who have been kept in quarantine are facing acute hardships due to non-availability of basic amenities.
“We have no clothing, no food and no water because government has specified quarantine centers far away from district headquarters. Unfortunately all the claims of the government regarding quarantine facilities are mere trickery,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, when contacted Nodal Officer J&K Union Territory, Bhupinder Kumar, while talking to KNS said that all allegations leveled by family members will be investigated seriously and if anybody is found guilty, government will not hesitate in taking strict action against them.
