New Delhi, June 11: Professor Wali Akhtar Nadwi, head of the Arabic department at Delhi University (DU) died on 9 June after he was denied treatment at around six private hospitals in Delhi and Noida. He had shown COVID symptoms but the hospitals refused to admit him citing different reasons.

On 2 June Akhtar found out that he was having a fever. Since then his family members approached around six private hospitals including Delhi’s Bansal Hospital, Fortis Hospital, Holy Family Hospital, Moolchand Hospital, and Kailash Hospital in Noida. But all of them denied his admission. Some of them said they don’t admit patients having fever and some said they don’t have a bed available.

When hospitals refused to admit

“My ailing brother was shocked and disappointed at the treatment of hospitals more than his ailment. He lost hope even before the beginning of the Covid-19 test process,” Prof. Akhtar’s younger brother Jamil Akhtar told Muslim Mirror.

The hospitals Prof. Akhtar sought treatment at are impaneled with the DU under direct payment facility. Despite that, he failed to get any medical help from them.

The security guards of Fortis Escort didn’t even allow Prof. Akhtar and his family members to enter the hospital premises. “This grieved my late brother the most,” Mr. Jamil Akhtar said.

“It is evident that the central and state governments have no control over these hospitals and the latter are doing whatever they want. Moreover, the governments’ claims are hollow. In such a situation, a common person has no dignity” Prof. Akhtar’s colleague Mujeeb Akhtar said.

Dr Aditya Narayan Mishra, former president of the Delhi University Teachers Association also criticized healthcare authorities over Akhtar’s death. In an interview with News 18 Urdu, Mishra said that his family members kept running from one hospital to another in their attempt to get him admitted but his life was lost as he was not provided with a bed at any hospital.

Mismanagement at Al-Shifa Hospital

Prof. Wali’s family members finally managed to get him admitted to South Delhi-based Al-Shifa hospital (owned and managed by Jamat e Islami Hind)  with the help of some of their acquaintances associated with this medical facility. However, mismanagement at the hospital left them uncertain.

Prof. Wali was not attended or provided any medical facility and made to sit at a chair until registration amount was deposited to the hospital, said  Jamil Akhtar , the younger brother of late prof. Wali.

It took almost five days for the hospital staff to get his coronavirus test done. He was admitted at 2 am on 7 June. His sample was taken at 4 pm on 9 June and he died at 6:20 pm on the same day.

But the test report says his sample was collected on 10 June and result was prepared on 11 June.

Moreover, the ICU Prof Wali was admitted into did not have AC facility, Mr Jamil complained. He added that only nurses were wearing PPE but other medical staff weren’t.