COVID-19 in Gujarat: Teens informed eight days after death of father

Dimple (16) and Aryan (14) got a rude shock when police informed them on May 14 that their father had died eight days ago on May 6.

Mahesh Solanki, 57 was hospitalized in Civil Hospital on May 4 with coronavirus.

“We were told Solanki was under treatment and hospital authorities would update us. We cannot believe that he lay dead while we prayed for his recovery. Were Civil Hospital authorities so busy that they forgot to inform us for eight days?” Solanki’s relative Mukesh Rathod told Times of India.

Solanki’s 14-year-old son Aryan often went to the hospital to check on his father but was given a standard reply “He was fine and they would let us know”.

Solanki’s family alleged the ordeal continued even after his death. They were asked to take the body from the stretcher and put on the mortuary van without protection. The van was also loaded with another body to be taken for last rites, ToI reports.

Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad has been in the eye of the storm since the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic. have been many cases of mishandling.

The hospital has also come under the scanner after a Covid-19 patient admitted there was found dead at a bus stop 10 km away on May 15. The patient’s family was forced to carry the body to a crematorium themselves, without any protective gear, and claims they have not been given any information on how the body reached the bus stop.

Jignesh Mevani, an independent legislator from Gujarat, condemned the Civil Hospital for this incident. “This is a case of typical negligence when it comes to dealing with the poor,” he said.