The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on Wednesday directed the Pune district collectorate to look into the functioning of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC)-run Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH) after a member of the Vigilance Committee, Sagar Charan, wrote a complaint to the CMO and said that a large number of COVID-19 deaths were recorded in the hospital due to shortage of expert doctors, reported Indian Express.
In his letter, Charan said that due to lack of specialist doctors, junior doctors are handling the patients. The Vigilance Committee member added that pulmonologists who are required for treating serious pneumonia patients are not available at YCM hospital. "This was a very serious gaffe and needed thorough investigation,” he said.
“In ICU, intensivists are required to handle critical patients who are on ventilators. Even intensivists are missing from YCMH’s ICU. If doctors who treat fractures are asked to treat COVID-19 patients, who suffer from chest or lung ailment or respiratory problem, deaths are bound to happen,” he wrote in his letter.
Meanwhile, Pune District Collector Naval Kishore Ram said that he has personally taken up with the issue with PCMC Commissioner Shravan Hardikar. "The PCMC chief has told me that in last seven to 10 days, situation has improved at YCM hospital and further efforts are being made to put things in order. We are preparing to a send team to YCM hospital to find out the problems plaguing the hospital,” he added.
According the PCMC website, the total COVID-19 positive cases are 24,465 and the death toll has risen to 426 in the twin-city. The active cases are 6,418 while 17,621 patients have recovered.
