Coronavirus patient
Courtesy: REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

There seems to be no end to traumatic accounts emerging from the Covid care facilities of hospitals across India. Right from the undignified disposal of bodies to the dead lying next to the patients, the reports have been nothing short of horrors from the hospital. As if the virus was not enough.

One of the recent heart-wrenching stories happens to be a first-person account of a daughter whose father was admitted to Government Medical College, Bakshi Nagar in Jammu. In a lengthy Facebook post, Reetika Wali alleges how her father was tested and found negative for COVID-19 before being admitted to the hospital. Under the treatment for a severe COPD condition, once his position worsened another COVID-19 test was conducted and again found negative.

Despite the results being negative, the health care professional in charge declared and maintained the patient to be COVID positive. A stance that continued till the patient's death and even later when it came to handing over the body.

dead body
representational

Why would the hospital turn a negative into a fake positive?

The post further alleges, "I got to know from the sources and people that black marketing is going on in the name of COVID. They are earning lacs of rupees over a single body to mark as COVID positive."

Adds Reetika Wali in her post, "and the question arises, if my father was so-called COVID-positive according to you b***** human eaters, why was he not wrapped in the bag like other COVID bodies when we got the body. I'm devastated that he was not positive and was being treated like the positive patients and we couldn't even perform the rituals." Read the full details here.

 The authorities' response

The landline number of GMC, Bakshi Nagar Jammu was tried repeatedly, there has been no response so far. As and when the version of Government Medical College Jammu is received, this copy will be duly updated.