Reports of medical apathy have increased manifold during the lockdown. In a shocking, horrifying and inhumane incident an 80-year-old man in Madhya Pradesh’s Shahjapur was found tied to a hospital bed, allegedly over non-payment of medical bills, The Hindu reported. The hospital he was admitted to where the appalling incident occurred has now been sealed.
A video of the incident that went viral on social media showed Laxmi Narayan a resident of Khilchipur Tehsil in Rajgarh district, lying in bed with his ankles fastened to the hospital bed with ropes. He was admitted to the City Hospital after he had complained of a stomach ache.
Madhya Pradesh: An 80-yr-old man found tied to bed with rope at a hospital in Shajapur allegedly over non-payment of hospital bill. Dist Collector says,‘We’ve sent a team to hospital to investigate matter. Police probe on. Report awaited. Action will be taken accordingly.'(06.06) pic.twitter.com/fWaY4nIi5z
— ANI (@ANI) June 7, 2020
After the atrocious incident came to light, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in a tweet said that the perpetrators would not be spared.
शाजापुर के एक अस्पताल में वरिष्ठ नागरिक के साथ क्रूरतम व्यवहार का मामला संज्ञान में आया है। दोषियों को बख्शा नहीं जायेगा, सख्त से सख्त कार्रवाई की जायेगी।
— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) June 6, 2020
In another tweet he said that post the investigations by the Chief Medical Health Officer (CMHO) Prakash Vishnu Phulambrikar and other authorities, the registration of the hospital had been suspended and an FIR had been lodged against the administration.
इस घटना पर कड़ी कार्यवाही करते हुए CMHO और प्रशासन ने सिटी हॉस्पिटल का रजिस्ट्रेशन सस्पेंड कर उसको सील कर दिया है।
अस्पताल के प्रबंधक के ख़िलाफ़ एफ़॰आई॰आर॰ दर्ज कर पूरे प्रकरण की पुलिस जाँच हो रही है। https://t.co/g7fl3wm1Xe
— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) June 8, 2020
The CM had appointed a team comprising the sub-divisional magistrate, a medical specialist and the District Health Officer to visit the hospital, but by the time they reached the hospital on June 8, the elderly man and his family had left the hospital, The Hindu reported.
According to the case sheet accessed by the authorities, the elderly man was suffering from seizures and that the hospital had allegedly strapped him due to the bed owing to convulsions. Dr Phulambrikar told The Hindu, “Still this is not the way. During convulsions, we use bandages available at the hospital, if required, but not ropes.”
The patient’s daughter recounted the ordeal to The Hindu. She said that they had first deposited Rs. 6,000 as fees and later another Rs. 5,000. Since they couldn’t pay anymore, they asked the hospital to remove his catheter so they could take him home. However, the hospital said that they needed to deposit another Rs. 11,270 to secure his discharge and get the case file. “They didn’t give us the file, so when we started leaving the hospital, and father was coming behind me, they grabbed him, took him inside and strapped him to the bed.”
Former CM Kamal Nath too had posted the video of the incident saying that such incidents of inhumane behavior, robbery and arbitrariness continued in many private hospitals in the state during the pandemic and there was no one to listen to the public.
इस कोरोना महामारी में प्रदेश के कई निजी अस्पतालों में अमानवीय व्यवहार ,लूट-खसोट व उनकी मनमानी जारी है।
जनता की कोई सुनने वाला नहीं है।
सरकार इस घटना पर सख़्त कदम उठाये , दोषियों पर कार्यवाही हो।
2/2— Office Of Kamal Nath (@OfficeOfKNath) June 6, 2020
However, denying all allegations, Dr. Varun Bajaj, the director of the private hospital said that the patient was discharged and no money was taken. Yahoo reported him as saying, “he patient was having intestinal problems and in order to administer the medicine, his legs were tied to the bed while his hands were held by his family during the process.”
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