Shimla, Apr 9
Premier Hospital of State Indira Gandhi Medical College Covid isolation facility and the State health services have again come under a question mark as a patient at IGMC, made an attempt to commit suicide on April 7. An FIR was lodged by the hospital administration into alleged incident.
Though the reasons behind, taking of such extreme step are yet unknown, but a probe is pertinent here to understand the circumstances, that lead to such step, state citizens. As, this is not the first one, a incident like this one has occurred before. Not even a year behind, another patient had committed suicide by hanging herself from window of Din Dayal Upadhaya Hospital at Rippon of Shimla.
What happened at IGMCÂ
Dr Karan Sehgal ( an Vet) who was admitted in the IGMC Hospital Covid isolation ward on Apr 5, 2021. His both parents are also isolated for Covid -19. Reportedly, Dr Sehgal slit his left arm wrist with a sharp metal at 0530 hrs on Apr 7, 2021.
After the incident Professor of Medicine at IGMC Shimla Dr Balvir Verma registered an FIR(No 74/21) under section 309 of Indian Penal Code for an attempt to suicide by the patient at police station Sadar (Main) Shimla. The victim cum accused is a resident of Kasumpti in Shimla.
COVID health services in ICU?
The Covid facilities have often remained under controversy, as the patients have been complaining of disillusion and aloofness by hospital staff. In another matter in October, last year a government teacher Dr Sanjog Bhushan had alleged that his wife lost life due to apathy of services, being provided. Stating negligence, apathy of health administration and low quality health services being offered to Covid and Non covid, the Bhushan family had alleged that their patient collapsed due to delay in the treatment.
The availability of doctors in the Covid and other non Covid wards has remained a cause of concern for the patients and their attendants. Even the Chief Minister number of times, has been seen directing even senior doctors to visit COVID isolation facility patients during the last wave. The claim about lack of doctors gets weight from the fact that the state Government has accepted in assembly during last budget session that out of total 728 doctors posted in IGMC only 205 could render services during Covid pandemic.
The quality of Covid and other health services in the state speak about itself as the health department is admitting that as many as 105 patients migrated outside the state for treatment in the last one month this year alone. 98 from Chamba and seven from Kullu district itself speak about the quality of health services being rendered.
However, the authorities on the other hand have only remained on defensive mode shielding the shortcomings in COVID isolation wards. Media person posed similar query to the Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur during a press conference on Thursday when he stated that was keeping an close eye on the health facility being imparted to Covid patients.
As many as 1083 people died of Covid -19 in the state include 276 in this district. The tally of Covid went up to 67511 till Friday with 621 new cases and active cases mounted to 4513 ( highest number so far).
