COVID-19 patient missing from KEM Hospital since May 19: Kin

Family members of a 70-year-old COVID-19 patient who was treated at the civic-run King Edward Memorial Hospital in Mumbai claimed that the latter was missing since May 19 from the hospital.

Mumbai (Maharashtra): A 70-year-old COVID-19 patient, who was admitted to the civic-run King Edward Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, has been missing since May 19, his family claimed on Monday.

The patient's son-in-law said that they tried pursuing the matter with the Parel-based King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEM) and police, but the man has not yet been found.

They also filed a missing person's complaint at Bhoiwada police station on May 25, but they have got no information so far, he said.

"Due to fever and weakness, we admitted him at KEM Hospital on May 14. Two days later, on May 16, the hospital informed us that he was tested positive for coronavirus," he said.

He was shifted to KEM Hospital's ward no. 20 from where he was missing on May 19, the son-in-law said.

Not being able to trace the patient, his son-in-law approached former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya.

Somaiya said he has taken up the matter with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), police and Parel-based King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEM) after the patient's family members pursued it up with authorities in vain.

In a tweet, Somaiya said, "The patient, a resident of Lalbaug area, was admitted at KEM Hospital on May 14. But after his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to the ICU and put on ventilator support on May 18."

"On (May) 19 the Hospital authority informed the patient's family that he is missing. I took up the matter with BMC & Police & KEM," the BJP leader said in his tweet.

However, KEM's Dean Dr Hemant Deshmukh did not respond in this matter.

KEM is one of the major civic-run hospitals in the city having treatment facilities for both COVID-19 and non-coronavirus patients.

Last Tuesday, the death of a health worker at the KEM Hospital triggered a protest by its employees, who alleged BMC's apathy towards them.

In view of the rising number of deaths of COVID-19 patients, slots in the KEM Hospital's mortuary are full and bodies of several victims keep lying in the corridor of the medical facility, a union leader of the hospital staff later said.

(PTI report)