KASUR: A critical patient of Covid-19 died in a Rescue 1122 ambulance on way to the Lahore Expo Centre Field Hospital after two health facilities refused to accept him

Following a phone call, a Rescue 1122 team received Zaheer Asghar, 53, from the DHQ Hospital to shift him to the Lahore General Hospital.

The report said the LGH refused to accept the patient and rather referred him to the Expo Field Hospital.

The Rescue report said the patient died in the ambulance before reaching the Expo.

Asghar was buried in Rasoolpur village graveyard by a team of Rescue 1122 and the administration under SOPs for corona victims.

DHQ Medical Superintendent Dr Laiq Ahmad said Ashgar was suffering from kidney, diabetes and hypertension problems. He was brought here from the Ittefaq Hospital, Lahore, on Thursday.

“Since he needed dialysis, he was referred to Lahore because the DHQ could not afford dialysis of a corona patient for safety of others in need of this facility,” the MS said.

Chief Executive Officer Dr Mubashar said the patient had multiple diseases, including renal failure, respiratory issues, high blood pressure and diabetes.

He said only serious patients were referred to Lahore to save their lives. He said big hospitals had facilities that were not available in small hospitals.

A health official said the facility for corona patients here had four ventilators. He said the government had given a reasonable amount to DHQs to meet emergencies due to the pandemic but doctors seemed reluctant to handle Covid-19 patients.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2020