70-year-old Covid-19 Patient Missing from Mumbai's KEM Hospital Since May 19: Family

A 70-year-old COVID-19 patient, who was admitted to the civic-run King Edward Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, has been missing since May 19, his family claimed on Monday.

The patient's son-in-law said they tried pursuing the matter with the Parel-based King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEM) and police, but the man has not yet been found.

They also filed a missing person's complaint at Bhoiwada police station on May 25, but there has been no success so far, he said.

"Due to fever and weakness, we had admitted him at KEM Hospital on May 14. Two days later, on May 16, the hospital informed us that he tested positive for coronavirus," he said.

He was shifted to KEM Hospital's ward no. 20 from where he went missing on May 19, the son-in-law said. After being unable to trace the patient, his son-in- law approached former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya.

Somaiya said he has taken up the matter with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), police and Parel-based King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEM), after the patient's family members pursued it up with authorities in vain.

According to a tweet posted by Somaiya, the patient, a resident of Lalbaug area, was admitted at KEM Hospital on May 14. But after his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to the ICU and put on ventilator support on May 18.

"On (May) 19 Hospital inform Family Patient is Not Traceable. Family pursuing with KEM & Police for 10 days in vain. I took up matter with BMC & Police & KEM," the BJP leader said in his tweet.

KEM's Dean Dr Hemant Deshmukh did not respond to queries in the matter. KEM is one of the major civic-run hospitals in the city having treatment facilities for both COVID-19 and non-coronavirus patients.

Last Tuesday, the death of a health worker at the KEM Hospital triggered a protest by its employees, who alleged apathy by the BMC towards their working conditions during the coronavirus crisis.

In view of the rising number of deaths of COVID-19 patients, slots in the KEM Hospital's mortuary are full and bodies of several victims keep lying in the corridor of the medical facility, a union leader of the hospital staff later said.