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Maharashtra: COVID-19 patient denied ambulance, walks 2 kilometers to reach hospital in Dombivili

Thane: Patients seem to be the worst sufferers in the ongoing lockdown with many of them being turned away by hospitals. While others are facing problems due to the unavailability of ambulance services.

In a similar incident, a COVID-19 patient was forced to walk two kilometers in the absence of an ambulance in the Dombivili area of Thane in Maharashtra. 

According to a report in NDTV online, the incident took place on Thursday after the patient was denied an ambulance by officials. Despite repeated calls by the patient to the hospital, he was allegedly told that there was no ambulance available and he may come to the hospital on his own. 

Disappointed by the refusal, the patient then walked up to the hospital with help from people in his locality. The man was accompanied by 4-5 persons to ensure help in case of any emergency.

The patient's ordeal did not stop after reaching the hospital. He was allegedly made to wait for three hours outside the hospital. 

Thane, which is adjacent to Mumbai, is a coronavirus hotspot. Till Thursday, the city has registered 4,672 COVID-19 cases with 151 deaths. 

Maharashtra, the worst coronavirus-hit state in India, has registered over 40,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases so far.

In another development that comes as a relief for the COVID-19 patients,  the Maharashtra government allowed Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to acquire 80 per cent beds in city private hospitals for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

The government has also capped treatment cost at Rs 9,000 per day for a bed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). 

The move has come as a breather for government hospitals that are already overburdened with COVID-19 patients. The public and private hospitals in Mumbai have 30,000 beds and are capable of giving critical care. 

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