Kidney patient turned away by three Mumbai hospitals dies

A senior citizen from Kalina Anwari Begum 70 died after three top hospitals in the city refused to give her dialysis without her COVID19 test results being in the womans family has claimed The test results which arrived on Monday returned negativeBegum had been undergoing dialysis at Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra East for the past one year Her last dialysis at the hospital was on April 18 when a COVID19 positive patient was found in the hospital The hospital asked her to visit on April 22 mdash which was also the day of her next dialysis mdash for a COVID19 testAnwari Begums two sons from left Zakaria Shaikh Haroon Shaikh and Mohammed Hasan right her soninlawMy motherinlaws COVID19 test was done on Wednesday April 22 She was also supposed to get dialysis on the same day but the hospital refused saying they will do it only after her test results come which was going to take 48 hours On Thursday she had severe pain and needed the dialysis urgently So we went to the hospital around 4 pm but they refused as her reports were pending We waited for over two hours at the hospital but they did not listen said Mohammed Hasan Begums soninlawAfter Guru Nanak we approached Nanavati Hospital Many other patients like us were stopped at the gate They took her files and after two hours enquired about her COVID19 test report and said that they are not taking outside patients Some from the family took her to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital around 830 pm and I went to look for a dialysis centre in Kalina and Sakinaka At Kokilaben my family was asked to finish formalities which took two hours but they too refused to treat her Hasan saidGuru Nanak Hospital in Bandra East File picFound help but too lateDialysis patients all over the city have been suffering amid the Coronavirus pandemic Despite guidelines from the State Health Department that do not necessitate a COVID19 test for patients needing dialysis and only ask hospitals to take universal precautions hospitals across the city are refusing to treat patients without the testHospitals say that they are overburdened due to the closure of dialysis centres which has increased the volume of patients with kidney ailments and that they cannot accommodate every patientHasan approached Axon Hospital in Sakinaka which said that the dialysis centre is closed as their staff is unwell I requested them explaining the condition of my motherinlaw and pleaded with folded hands to have mercy I also promised to pay whatever amount is required After some time the concerned doctor listened to me and called his dialysis staff My motherinlaw reached the hospital around 11 pm At 1130 pm the assistant doctor told me that her condition has worsenedBegum died shortly after that Her test results which came on Monday showed her negative for CoronavirusThe funeral was performed the next day at 10 am Sometime later I received a call from the person who had referred us to the nephrologist at Guru Nanak Hospital He was apparently told by someone from the hospital that my mother tested positive We live in a joint family and everyone panicked but no one from the hospital called us A few days later we got her report which was negative Hasan saidAccording to BMCs Health Department a COVID19 test is not mandatory for dialysis patients Everyone has to take universal precautions a COVID19 test report is not mandatory said Dr Daksha Shah BMCs deputy executive health officer24 hours after sanitising the dialysis centre the hospital can resume services as per the guidelines If they suspect a patient to be positive heshe can be quarantined Dr Shah addedFollowed task force rulesGuru Nanak Hospital defended itself saying it was just following guidelines of the state governments task force committee as per which an affected dialysis centre must close for fumigation and surface cleaning Our dialysis centre is open 24x7 That day a COVID19 case was reported As per the rules we had to shut the dialysis centre for 24 hours sanitise the area and quarantine the staff Around seven workers from the dialysis centre were quarantined They have tested negative said Dr Narendra Sharma spokesperson of the hospital who did not clearly remember on which day the case was reportedDialysis patients travel through Containment Zones Despite taking all precautions such incidents are happening which is the biggest challenge for us Sharma saidAs per my knowledge the case was reported on Saturday We needed the dialysis on Thursday That makes five days Why did Guru Nanak Hospital refuse to treat her when it is supposed to be shut only for 24 hours Hasan saidDr Santosh Shetty executive director and CEO Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital said We are not testing our existing dialysis patients We take patients history and screen them before every dialysis Currently we have nearly 200 patients on dialysis We are following BMC and state task forces guidelinesWhile the spokesperson of Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital said Nanavati Hospital is one of the very few quaternary care medical facilities in Mumbai to provide dialysis treatment for COVID19 patients Thus the high influx of patients ensures dialysis beds reserved for patients as per their COVID19 status are occupied However the unavailability of a bed is immediately communicated to the patient or their familyApr 22Day Anwari Begum was tested for CoronavirusApr 27Day her test returned negative four days after her deathCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news