india

Updated: Apr 15, 2020 15:34 IST

All five Covid-19 patients who have died of the disease in Bhopal so far were also victims of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, certain organisations representing the gas tragedy survivors have claimed. The city currently, has 158 coronavirus positive patients.

One of the organisations has moved the high court for a direction to the state government to denotify the Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC) as a non-Covid-19 hospital so that it can treat the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims. The hospital was notified as a Covid-19 hospital by an order of the district administration in the third week of March.

The Covid-19 patients who have died are between 49 years to 80 years and lived in different localities affected by the gas tragedy. The first Covid-19 patient among the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims died on April 6, second and third on April 12, fourth on April 13 and the fifth Covid-19 patient died on April 14. One of them was suffering from oral cancer. Another was suffering from tuberculosis but he had recovered from the disease. The three others too were suffering from ailments. One of the five happened to be a journalist, as per associations and officials from the district administration.

Bhopal Group for Information and Action convener Rachna Dhingra accused the government of neglecting the victims and said, “Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims are dying of Covid-19 as they are more vulnerable to the virus and they have been deprived of treatment at BMHRC which is meant for them as the hospital has been notified as a Covid-19 hospital.”

Rachna Dhingra said, “The Bhopal Group for Information and Action filed an application in the high court on Tuesday for an urgent hearing through video conferencing on the organisation’s petition already filed after the state government notified the hospital for Covid-19 patients. This is regarding denial of all medical facilities at BMHRC to gas tragedy victims.”

Member of the Supreme Court’s monitoring committee for gas victims, Purnendu Shukla said, “After BMHRC was notified as a Covid-19 hospital the OPD service was discontinued at the hospital for gas victims. As many as 65 patients were discharged from the hospital. Only a few patients were allowed to remain at the hospital as they could not be shifted from there given their serious condition. As many as 31 patients on dialysis were shifted to another hospital, where there was only one technician for dialysis.”

“The government’s decision to not allow the gas victims to be treated at BMHRC was beyond comprehension as the gas victims are more prone to contracting the virus given their co-morbidity. And now the results are there for all to see. All the five Covid-19 patients who have died are gas tragedy victims,” Shukla said.

District collector, Bhopal Tarun Kumar Pithode could not be reached for comments. He didn’t respond to phone calls and text messages.