P Masiiyi Mao, who met a road accident on April 30, died after struggling for life for two days without getting any medical care as all the five top hospitals in Manipur denied treatment to him after he was found “COVID infected”.
By P Reidzii Mao (Elder brother of Late Mr P Masiiyi Mao)
It was around 6:00 pm on April 30, 2021 that Mr P Masiiyi Mao, along with two others, set out on the wheel for Senapati home from Maram. But a technical glitch occurred and the car skidded off the road and rammed into a pile of stones at Kabinam. That fateful sunset of the day hit them hard.
Clad in blood, Masiiyi Mao was evacuated and hurried to Maram PHC for first aid and then rushed to Raj Medicity at 11:30 pm. But the doctors said that they do not treat the Covid-19 positive patients, so Covid-19 test is mandatory. We helplessly bowed to their terms and his covid-19 test was done with injury-caused high temperature. But Eh! His result was positive without symptom. The CT scan and X-Ray were done. The doctors said my brother had a crack in the skull, internal bleeding and the broken right arm and had just 24 hours to live without surgery but assured post-operation recovery. So every second is precious for him.
Alas! Where is Operation Theatre on Earth? Raj Medicity had denied him not only surgery but also O2. We rushed him to Shija Hospital only to be rejected on the grounds of Covid-19 positive. Even with the help of some ministers, we pleaded with the medical superintendent and neuro-surgeons of RIMS for surgery. A long talk continued but it turned out to be just a waste of time. The doctors were not bold enough to save the struggling life with covid+. Then we brought him to Little Clinic where there is not a single room for covid-19 patients. Then he was quickened to JNIMS, the last hope. But the JNIMS doctors said JNIMS is a government hospital and lacks necessary equipment for this patient. The JNIMS neuro-surgeons did not even visit the patient but left him only with drip and oxygen. In the evening again, JNIMS doctors compelled us to take him to Little Clinic again. We told them that Little Clinic had rejected the covid-19 patient and we had no reason to go there back. A JNIMS doctor said, “Covid-19 positive or not positive, take him to Little Clinic.” We went there with little hope but only to be rejected again. We brought him back to JNIMS again. Some of us went to Shija Hospital again to request again. But they had paid a deaf ear.
We took the dying patient from hospital to hospital, from pillar to post for two days in dire need of surgery. We landed nowhere on the third day. We planned to shift him to Guwahati but the ambulance journey would be too long and too tedious. Faith Hospital Dimapur heard the news and sympathised with him and its neuro-surgeon told us to bring the patient for surgery as soon as possible without minding his Covid-19 positive status. What a blessing!
We contacted a private ambulance. But the ambulance delayed because that private ambulance had a protocol not to lift covid patients. We waited for 1 hour. Only by 5:00 pm, we climbed aboard the ambulance late and finally left the five top but unviable hospitals of Manipur. He awaited surgery for long. He outlived the doctor’s guarantee of 24 hours by another 24 hours to stay with us. But he was right. He was not iron. He gave up on reaching his home town Senapati at 7:30 pm. He died a strong fighter, a fighter against injustice rather than a fighter against a disease. He succumbed to his injuries while his two other friends survived with Covid-19 Test negative result, one tested negative on 3rd May 2021 and the other tested negative on 5th May 2021. Such variation in the test results of the trio in the same car accident questions the authenticity of RT-PCR machine because if my brother was COVID+, the two other friends would be infected for sure.
We are confused with the mission of the doctors. Confused as to which type of sickness are the medics trained to treat and which are they trained not to treat. If doctors do not treat covid+ patients, who will treat them? The engineers? If soldiers do not go to the battlefield to save their dying race, who will go? The lawyers? If an ambulance does not serve the sick, which type of people will it serve? The healthy? We don’t need doctors who love money but doctors who love humanity.
I humbly request the state government to set up an emergency trauma care centre so that the public even if afflicted by the pandemic is not deprived of emergency medical care.