A 55-year-old patient of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), who went missing from a government hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on Saturday, was found dead in bushes around 500 metres away on Sunday evening.
A CCTV footage, which has now gone viral, shows a man resembling the patient walking out of the Covid-19 ward of the SRN Hospital at around 4.30pm on Saturday.
Officials said his body was spotted by employees of a nursery, near a police officer’s house, who then informed the police.
The man’s family has alleged he was not given proper treatment at the SRN Hospital. The administration, however, has denied their claims.
Dinesh Kumar Singh, superintendent of police (city), said the man from Rajapur area was admitted to the hospital on Friday and went missing on Saturday night.
A missing person’s complaint was lodged on his family’s complaint and a massive search was launched but he could not be found.
The family said they reached the hospital when his phone was switched off since Saturday night. The staff told them he had fled the hospital despite efforts to stop him.
The man’s daughter claimed her father had informed her of the poor condition at the ward while speaking to her over the phone.
The family released an audio clip late on Sunday as they claimed the man had called them up on Saturday morning, hours before he “escaped” from the hospital. He reportedly said his complaints at the hospital had gone unheard.
“My mouth was dry all night. I felt suffocated probably because of the ventilator. I tried to tell a few people here to help but no one listened,” the man is heard saying in the clip while talking with his family members.
A CCTV footage also shows a group of men walking out of the same gate from which the man came out. The hospital administration has claimed the men work with the hospital and were trying to pursue the patient.
“This patient had fever and breathing problems. His condition was improving. However, he walked out all of a sudden. The doctors and staff tried to stop him but he left before anyone could stop him. We immediately informed the police,” Dr SP Singh, the principal of MLN Medical College to which SRN Hospital is associated with, said.
