Elderly turned away by hospitals, dies

Dhangadi, April 8

Family members and relatives claimed that a man in his mid-70s died after hospitals refused to treat him in Kailali today.

Janaklal Bhatta, 76, of Godwari Municipality, was rushed to Metro Hospital in Dhangadi at 11:30am today, but he was not admitted as he was required to be put on a ventilator but the hospital didn’t have one, his nephew Hemraj Bhatta told THT. Hemraj said his uncle was then rushed to Nisarga Hospital, which also refused to admit him.

Bhatta was then taken back home, where he died within 10 minutes. He was not taken to Seti Provincial Hospital after his family learnt that no ventilator was vacant at the hospital.

Metro Hospital Chair Dhirendra Saud admitted that the hospital had no ventilator. Nisarga Hospital board member Kuber Shahi said Bhatta could not be admitted as the hospital didn’t have any doctor.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on April 09, 2020 of The Himalayan Times.