Distressing news has come to the fore from Nashik, Maharashtra, which is currently grappling with a resurgence of coronavirus cases in the state. According to reports, a 38-year-old critical COVID patient succumbed to the infection while protesting outside the Nashik Municipal Corporation on Thursday night. The man identified as Babasaheb Kole had reached the corporation office with his oxygen mask on after he was refused admission by multiple hospitals in Nashik.
He sat on a dharna outside the municipal office, with a mask and his oxygen cylinder, to protest against the pandemic apathy of the Maharashtra government. An hour later, he was taken to a municipal hospital by the corporation officials, where he breathed his last at 1 AM on April 1. Kole’s family claimed his oxygen level dropped to 40 per cent from a normal level of 95 per cent or higher around midnight.
Patient was denied bed at multiple hospitals, says family
Speaking about what provoked the patient to sit outside the municipal building in protest, his wife said: “Two-three days back he was taken to a Bytco hospital. From there, he went to another hospital, from there to the government medical college. Medical College said it has no bed. We then went to other hospitals. Nobody admitted him. Then we came back to civil (hospital) and got oxygen for him and put him on it. Nobody heard us.”
The Maharashtra police and the civic body has said that they have launched an investigation to find out who “instigated” the patient to picket the municipal building.
Sadly, just when India breathed a sigh of relief that the pandemic curve has finally flattened, Coronavirus in Maharashtra witnessed a sudden spike in daily cases. Maharashtra has once again become the worst-hit state in the country, reporting nearly 40,000 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.
Last month, Aaditya Thackeray, son of Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray was found Covid-19 positive. Two days after, his mother Rashmi and wife of CM Uddhav Thackeray was also tested positive for the Chinese coronavirus.
Amidst the surging cases of Covid-19, it was being speculated that a statewide lockdown may be announced by the Maharashtra Chief Minister. However, instead of going for a lockdown, Uddhav Thackeray was to release a standard operating procedure (SOP) on April 1. The new SOPs are expected to impose more restrictions and guidelines for the people of the state and curb public movement.
