Mumbai: It has been 13 days since a 74- year-old Covid-19 patient in KEM Hospital on ventilator support went missing but neither the hospital authorities nor police have a clue to his whereabouts. His distraught family has filed a missing complaint at Bhoiwada police station. The patient, a resident of Jijamata Nagar in Kalachowkie, was admitted to KEM hospital on May 15 after testing positive for Covid19.
He had been suffering from breathing trouble, so his family took him to KEM, after a private clinic refused to treat him. After he tested positive, his wife and daughter were taken to a quarantine centre in Bhoiwada. On May 17, his family was informed that the patient's health had deteriorated and he was on ventilator support in Ward No. 20 of the hospital.
As if this news was not alarming enough, early on May 19, the hospital informed the family that their patient was not in his bed and ever since, he has been missing. As soon as his wife and daughter were released from the quarantine centre, they approached the hospital but failed to get a satisfactory explanation from the authorities.
The family was then forced to go to the Bhoiwada police station and register a missing complaint on May 25. Seven days after, there have been no leads available in the case. In the meanwhile, police called the family to identify an unclaimed body. However, the family said it was not that of the missing man. A police officer said that since KEM Hospital is a Covid-19 facility and the patient went missing from a ward meant for seriously infected patient, they are finding it very tough to investigate and obtain statements from the doctors and staff. Nor can they access the CCTV footage to examine how the patient went missing
