Bengaluru: Girl dies on way to hospital; dad had no money to get help

BENGALURU: An ailing teenager, whose poor family struggled to get her timely help, died in her mother’s arms on the way to the hospital in east Bengaluru on Tuesday. Hours later, Savitha, 17, was found to be Covid positive.
Savitha, her parents John Kennedy and Ammu, and two younger sisters developed symptoms of Covid-19 last week, but they had no money to visit a private lab or a free facility for RTPCR tests.John, a carpenter, has been out of work for weeks. They remained home in Maragondanahalli near KR Puram, taking medicines for fever, before Savitha experienced severe breathlessness and passed away.
On Wednesday, the family members laid her to rest at the TC Palya burial grounds without wearing PPE kits, which they could not afford. Some volunteers decided to help and got them tested. All four members were found to be Covid positive. They are in home isolation.
Savitha completed class 10 from a school in TC Palya last year. She wanted to learn embroidery and design clothes, especially for her two sisters aged 14 and 11. She could not pursue the path as the pandemic eroded John’s work. The two young siblings had to leave online classes mid-way as John could not pay the fees. The second wave left him without any work and the family struggled.
“On Tuesday morning, Savitha’s condition worsened with high fever and severe breathlessness. Her father pleaded with an autorickshaw driver to help them, and she was rushed to a local clinic around 11am. Doctors ascertained that her condition was critical and recommended immediate hospitalisation,” said Maria Suman, the teen’s cousin.
John did not have money to pay even the basic fare of an ambulance. A relative brought a car to take Savitha to KR Puram General Hospital. She died on the way around 2pm. Suman said two crucial hours were lost waiting.
“Because of the lockdown, we were unable to meet, and I didn’t know what was happening at my uncle John’s house. The family had slid into abject poverty and could not afford to seek treatment,” Suman added.
The family didn’t have money to buy a coffin. “We learned about the incident on Tuesday night,” said Ambrose Rajan, one of the volunteers who rushed to help the family. They collected Rs 7,000 and bought a coffin.