Pune Journalist Pandurang Raykar, who tested COVID-19 positive, died due to lack of care at Jumbo COVID Centre, his family members alleged.
Pune District Administration has asked the Sassoon Hospital Dean to investigate if there was a failure in treatment protocol while providing treatment to Raykar.
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) stated that Raykar was kept on oxygen in Jumbo COVID Centre and in the evening of September 1, he was stable but he was later shifted to ICU.
The relatives of Raykar had decided to shift him to a private hospital on Tuesday. But in such a situation it was not right to shift him with a normal ambulance hence efforts were being made to make cardiac ambulance available and meanwhile his treatment as per COVID19 protocol was being conducted, as per the Corporation.
However, early morning at around 4:30 am today 2nd September his health condition worsened and his oxygen level dropped to 50-55. He was put on a ventilator; he was given all types of treatment required for life-saving but his condition did not improve and at around 5:30 am he lost his life. The reason for death was cardiorespiratory failure secondary due to COVID19.
"There's chaos, doctors aren't trained. They made centres worth crores but couldn't arrange cardiac ambulance to shift him. That's why he died," said Akshara Shendage, sister of the deceased journalist.
The incident led to netizens slamming the state government on Twitter.
Ashwini Satav Doke, a colleague of the deceased said, "He was taken to COVID centre in Hinjewadi but his oxygen level was 77, and there was no high-pressure oxygen available at Hinjewadi. So he was given an injection. Then we started looking for a bed and in the night a bed was made available here at Jumbo COVID Centre. But he required oxygen." "Yesterday, his oxygen level was 85, but we decided to take him to a private hospital. A bed was also available at the private hospital and it was just seven minutes distance away. But we did not get the cardiac ambulance," Ashwini Satav said.
"We arranged for an ambulance but they came with faulty ventilator and another without doctor. This all happened until 2 am today. So we decided to shift him in the morning as the doctor here was saying that we cannot shift the patient in a critical condition," she said.
"In the morning, around 4 am we were informed that his oxygen level was between 50 and 55. We arranged for another ambulance and we were told that it will be available at 6:30 am but in the meantime, we reached here, we got to know that Pandurang has died," she said.
"From 8 pm yesterday we were arranging for the cardiac ambulance, and it was only available to us in the morning after 4 am today," she added.
