BJP's Somaiya lashes out at BMC over death of patient who was denied admission in hospital

After severe allegations of COVID-19 data manipulation, the BJP on Monday alleged that the ‘cruelty of BMC’ caused the death of a patient quarantined in Mumbai’s Powai. In a letter to Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Chahal, former Lok Sabha MP Kirit Somaiya accused the BMC of allegedly refusing to admit a patient to the hospital who later died at a quarantine centre.

READ | BMC Direct Hospitals To Appoint Nodal Officer To Report COVID Deaths Within 48 Hours

Parshuram Jadhav (75), a resident of Kanjur Marg, Bhandup was suffering from high temperature, cough, breathing problems for last four days but the BMC refused him to admit in Hospital, the BJP leader said. The deceased patient was sent to a quarantine centre after his wife tested positive for Coronavirus, the letter read.

While Jadhav’s test result was still awaited, his condition began to deteriorate on Sunday. The BMC, however, refused to admit the patient and he was taken back to the quarantine centre. Later that night, the patient collapsed and was later declared dead.

Adding that a similar incident has taken place in the past, Kirit Somaiya asked the Municipal Commissioner to take serious note of the matter.

READ | BJP Accuses BMC Of Manipulating COVID Death Data,claims 'some Fatalities Shown Separately'

Mumbai's Coronavirus tally

On Sunday, Mumbai reported 1300 new COVID-19 cases and 23 deaths. Currently, the city's tally stands at 75,047 cases with 4369 fatalities - of which 43,154 have recovered. According to the BMC, Mumbai's recovery rate has almost equaled the nation's recovery rate of 58 percent.

BMC also reported that it will undertake large-scale sero surveillance in three wards M-west, F-North, and R-North in partnership with NITI-Aayog, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and other institutions. While an ICMR-headed serosurvey of 500 samples has already been completed in Mumbai, this serosurvey will test 10,000 random samples in non-slum areas. This sero survey which will be used to ascertain the level of infection of the virus, another special survey will be conducted for Health care officials in the same wards.

READ | BJP Demands Details As Mumbai Realtor Gets Medical-related Contract In BMC's COVID Project

READ | Mumbai Sees 1297 New COVID-19 Cases; BMC To Conduct Serosurvey Of 10,000 Samples