Lucknow: A 5-year-old child from a village in UP’s Jaunpur district lost his life after a brief illness on Friday. When his mentally challenged parents, along with other villagers, took him to the nearest primary health centre, it is alleged no one for the check-up.
Sunny Pandey, who stayed in Kaserva hamlet of Mauja Pandeyapur, part of Machhlishahar Tehsil, had developed fever a night before and lost consciousness later. He couldn’t be taken to community health centre (CHC) either, 25 km away, as the 108 ambulance allegedly needed repairs.
“By the time, another ambulance was sent, the boy had died outside PHC. The doctor and the nurse of the PHC arrived when their sweeper informed them over the phone and declared Sunny dead,” says Shivam Pandey, boy’s neighbour, who took him and his parents to the PHC, told FPJ.
Shivam, a young electrical engineer says with pain, “I am posted in Prayagraj but have been staying at my village since lockdown. I was more than happy to help the Sunny’s parents. He was their only child. But I am devastated and helpless as the boy died sans medical help.”
A youth, Anand Pandey, lost life in Kanpur city on Wednesday outside tertiary care govt hospital as there was no one to help his doctor father to put him on a stretcher and wheel him inside. He had cough and chest pain and needed tests at the Lala Lajpat Rai hospital. However, the corona fear drove the staff away as none agreed to touch him.
By the time, his father managed to lay him on stretcher and took to emergency and ICU, Anand passed away. Samajwadi Party president and former CM Akhilesh Yadav alleged negligence of duty with respect to the treatment of common people amid coronavirus pandemic through his tweet.
“Since OPDs of all hospitals have been shut since lockdown and most PHCs and CHCs are non-functional, hundreds of patients are unable to receive medical help.
Those who develop complications prefer to stay at home than facing police brutality,” alleges IP Singh, Samajwadi Party spokesperson.
Some doctors are serving the patients through WhatsApp and Facebook calls. Dr Vijaya Nath Mishra, neurologist and professor at the Sir Sunderlal Hospital and Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University says, “I am trying to help them as much as possible by checking them over video calls.
But medicines are unavailable.” Those suffering from chronic diseases like TB, HIV and epilepsy, are worst hit. Treatment cycle have been broken due to unavailability of drugs, say doctors. Though the Yogi government has floated state and local helplines to serve the needy, there are largescale complaints it’s cumbersome to get through the numbers.
