COVID-19: UP doctor dies in hospital due to non-availability of ventilators

85-year-old senior doctor JK Mishra at Swarup Rani Nehru (SRN) hospital in Prayagraj lost his life after he was unable to find a ventilator bed for himself at the hospital, where he has served for 50 years. According to reports, Mishra was diagnosed with covid-19 on April 13. Following the diagnosis, he was admitted to SRN after three days where he was receiving his treatment. Reportedly he developed complications at the hospital and was advised by the doctors to be shifted to a ventilator facility. However, no critical facility could be found in the hospital or anywhere in the city. Mishra breathed his last at SRN in front of his wife.

Speaking to reporters, the emergency medical officer of the SRN hospital said that the hospital has only 100 ventilator beds and all were occupied. it wasn’t possible for the authorities to shift any patient from there. Dr JK Mishra developed symptoms of Covid-19 like shortness of breath and oxygen deprivation on April 13. Three days later, he was admitted to the SRN hospital. But soon after he was admitted, his condition deteriorated. The doctors advised that he should be shifted to a ventilator facility, but no beds were available in any critical care facility in the city. As per the emergency medical officer of the SRN hospital, Suryabhan Kushwaha, the hospital has around 100 ventilators but all were occupied by the patients admitted before Dr Mishra. “It was not possible to remove any other patient from the ventilator to arrange one for Dr Mishra,” he said. Uttar Pradesh is currently the second-most-affected state by the Covid-19 pandemic in India. The state currently has over 2.97 lakh active cases.