Suspected Covid-19 patient dies after his relatives unplug ventilator so they could plug in an air cooler at Indian hospital
- Incident took place last Monday in the Maharao Bhimsingh Hospital in Rajasthan
- The patient, 40, had breathing difficulties and was put on a ventilator
- His family brought their own air cooler because temperatures were high
- They unwittingly unplugged ventilator which ran on battery before turning off
- Hospital’s air conditioning had been switched off to prevent spread of COVID-19
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
A patient with suspected coronavirus in India died after his family allegedly unplugged his ventilator so they could switch on an air cooler.
The astonishing incident took place last Monday in the Maharao Bhimsingh Hospital in the North Indian state of Rajasthan.
The patient was a 40-year-old man who ended up on a ventilator in a makeshift coronavirus isolation unit after arriving at the hospital with breathing difficulties.
But he died when his family unwittingly switched off his ventilator so they could plug in their own air cooler which they had brought to combat the high temperatures.
A patient with suspected coronavirus in India died after his family allegedly unplugged his ventilator so they could switch on an air cooler (file photo)
The ventilator, which was delivering vital oxygen to the patient’s body, reportedly ran for around 30 minutes on its battery before running out of power, according to multiple Indian news outlets and VICE News.
The man’s family then informed medics who gave him CPR before declaring him dead. He did then test negative for coronavirus.
It is unclear how the family were able to visit their relative in the isolation unit.
The family had brought the air cooler because the hospital’s air conditioning had been switched off to limit the spread of coronavirus, leading to a temperature of around 106 fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius).
The astonishing incident took place last Monday in the Maharao Bhimsingh Hospital (pictured) in the North Indian state of Rajasthan
The doctor on duty then filed a complaint against the man’s family.
A doctor at the hospital, Navin Saxena, told VICE News: ‘We have set up a committee with the deputy superintendent of the hospital, nursing superintendent, isolation ward staff and Chief Medical Officer to file a report that details what happened.’
He added that the cause of death would be confirmed in the report.
India has seen the fourth-highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, with 440,685 being the latest confirmed figure.
There have been 14,015 deaths.
And in the Rajasthan region, 15,232 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, leading to 356 deaths.
India has seen the fourth-highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, with 440,685 being the latest confirmed figure. There have been 14,015 deaths