Pune: After diabetic patient dies due to ‘lack of ICU bed’, district collector orders investigation

The collector said if the private hospital did not have ICU beds available, then it should have helped the patient’s family find an ICU bed in other private hospitals in the city. “It should have contacted other private hospitals and enquired about the availablity of ICU beds. Or, it should have contacted PMC health officials… there are several issues we need to find out in our investigation to ensure that there is no repeat of such incidents…,” said Ram.

Tanaji Shinde, who started feeling uneasy around 3 am on Saturday, was taken to Ruby Hall Clinic by his brother Anant. When the hospital said it didn’t have any vacant ICU beds, Anant said he contacted other private hospitals, which gave him the same reply. He finally took his brother to Sassoon Hospital, where Shinde passed away around 5.30 am.

A Ruby Hall Clinic spokesperson said there was no ICU bed available, and the hospital had given the patient primary treatment and stabilised his condition.

Meanwhile, leaders of the city’s Congress unit said they have contacted Shinde’s family members. “The district collector has said that in case of emergencies, the patients’ relatives should contact government hospitals. In case of an emergency, the family members take the patient to the nearest hospital for immediate treatment. Majority of civic hospitals are ill- equipped to deal with emergencies, and there are only a few government hospitals. In such a situation, where will the patient go? The collector says that there are adequate ICU beds available. If that’s the case, then why are these hospitals denying treatment to patients? The district administration should have provided helpline numbers to enable the people to contact the authorities in case the patients are denied treatment or not admitted in the hospitals,” read a statement issued by City Congress general secretary Ramesh Iyer.

The Congress added, “The district administration is supposed to give the status of occupancy in all hospitals in Pune. All the hospitals are supposed to display on their dashboard the occupancy status in their hospitals This is not happening…”.