On Wednesday, a video of an old lady dragging her sick and ailing husband through the corridors of a government hospital went viral. This incident resulted in the suspension of three nurses and a Group D staff of McGann SIMS Government Hospital in Shivamogga district in Karnataka.
A visitor at the hospital took the video of Famida dragging her 75 year old husband, Amir Sab, by his feet in the corridors of the hospital. The woman was forced to drag her husband as the hospital allegedly refused to provide a wheelchair for him.
Her Husband Amir Sab also spoke to the media and said, “We were fed up after repeatedly asking for a wheelchair. No one gave it. So my wife dragged me outside. By then someone came. They raised their voice against hospital authorities and got us the wheelchair.”
Amir Sab is from Chitra Durga and was admitted on the 25th of May for a lung infection and age related diseases.
The State Government immediately issued an apology. K.R. Ramesh Kumar, the health minister said, “I am ashamed to be sitting in this chair after seeing the video. We apologize for what happened. We’ve instructed the Shivamogga DC to visit the hospital and ascertain facts before initiating action.”
Famida spoke to reporters and said, “The doctors told us to get an X-Ray done for my husband. But he could not move from the hospital bed and our requests for a stretcher fell on deaf ears. We waited for two days and the doctor, who came on his rounds, rebuked us for not getting the X-Ray done. Feeling helpless, I asked my husband to lie down on the floor and pulled him towards the X-Ray room. Later, some people created a commotion. Following this, the hospital authorities swung into action.”
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has refused to give a comment on the incident.
Dr. B. V. Susheel Kumar tried to defend the hospital and said, “A day before this incident, he was taken on a wheelchair for a medical test but the patient’s wife Famida is now claiming they weren’t given the wheelchair on the second day for ultrasound tests. Our inquiry has revealed lapses on the part of nurses and a Group D employee who had taken another patient when this incident happened. A detailed inquiry will reveal the truth.”
