An elderly man from Pazipora Vilgam area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district Monday alleged denial of treatment to his ailing wife by doctors at Primary Health Center (PHC) Vilgam merely for lack of COVID-19 test forcing her to return home unattended.
In a video that has gone viral on the internet, the old man, carrying his wife with a foot ailment on his back, can be seen shouting that the health centre staff had turned them away on the pretext that the woman had not done a COVID-19 test.
“They didn’t even put her on a drip. They want the test (for COVID-19) first. What if she dies in the meantime? ” asks the man in the video.
The elderly said that he had toiled carrying his wife on his back from his home in Pazipora to the Vilgam health facility, a 7 km distance, but was left high and dry after the health centre “denied” his wife the treatment.
According to reports his wife had developed severe pain in her foot following which the old man carried him to the Vilgam facility.
Block Medical Officer Vilgam, Dr Ghulam Raheem refuted the allegation that the woman was denied treatment saying she “was asked to do a COVID test first which they refused to get it done”.
“The on-duty staff had asked them to go for the Rapid Antigen Test so that she could be admitted in the hospital,” Dr Raheem added.
The BMO cited the prevailing surge in COVID-19 cases for the test being a prerequisite for admitting patients to health centres.
Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Imam Din told Greater Kashmir that strict action will be taken against the on duty staff if found guilty.