Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Sep 18: Dr Ganapathi P of Mangala Hospital here said that unsubstantiated allegations are being made against the doctors, nurses and other staff of his hospital. He said that legal measures would be initiated against the baseless allegations being levelled against the hospital staff byy the relatives of a coronavirus patient who died at the hospital.

"For the doctors, treatment of patients is of paramount concern. The concerned were wrong in not paying justified bill towards the treatment of a patient, and the relatives of the person were wrong in planning to leave the body in the hospital and go away without clearing the bill. "The relative of the deceased behaved in a childish manner with the hospital staff and the arguments placed by them were such that might make the citizens to hang their heads in shame," he narrated.

Mangala Hospital (file photo)

"The relatives were not even had the basis knowledge when alleging that the kidney of the COVID-infected patient had been stolen, that kidneys of infected persons cannot be transplanted. The decent citizens and doctors’ community were insulted by claiming that a hospital that engages in stealing kidneys has been functioning in the city. Their behaviour was such that we had to partially open the packing of the body to show to the relatives that no external incisions were made. It is dangerous to completely remove the packing in case of COVID patients and law does not allow that," he clarified.

"After all this, when they came to know that hospital bill was to be cleared, they started to argue that the bill amount was too high, and said they would not clear the bill and they do not need the body. The family also gathered some citizens to hold protest. In the presence of police officers and taking into account the request of health department officials, they paid Rs 60,000 but in the social media they have undertaken malicious propaganda. They have falsely claimed that we had raised a bill of four lac rupees, kidney had been stolen, and ventilator was removed citing non-payment of bill etc," he stated.

Dr Ganapathi said that senior citizens who suffer from coronavirus infection and who have comorbidities face threat to their lives. It is wrong to criticize the comity of doctors and hospitals after the health condition aggravates and efforts of the doctors to save the patient fail, he asserted.