In a statement, the Superintendent clarified the truth behind the incident and sought action against those propagating the false narrative on social media.
The incident occurred at Nizamabad Government Hospital on 31 March. (Screengrab/Twitter)
A shocking video of a person being dragged by his attendants after allegedly not being provided with a wheelchair — within the premises of Nizamabad Government Hospital — went viral on the morning of Saturday, 15 April.
Denying reports of hospital negligence, Prathima Raj, superintendent of Nizamabad Government Hospital, quickly sent out a clarification.
In a statement, the superintendent, after a detailed enquiry, said that on 31 March, around 10 pm, the patient was brought to the emergency department of the hospital.
The doctors who examined him suggested that the patient be referred to specialists from the general medicine department the next morning. The patient was subsequently admitted there.
“The individual mentioned that they were seated in a wheelchair while waiting in the patients’ waiting hall. At approximately 8:30 am, they needed to go to the 2nd floor with their bag and the patient care staff brought the wheelchair inside for them,” the superintendent said in the statement.
According to the staff, even before the staff could get the wheelchair, the patient’s parents physically pulled the patient into the lift.
Once they arrived on the 2nd floor, the patient care staff assisted the patient into another wheelchair for their consultation with the doctor.
“They were then brought back to the ground floor in the same wheelchair and helped out of it. Without their knowledge, someone recorded a video of the incident and shared it,” read the statement.
The statement, which was shared to media houses, claimed that the narrative of hospital negligence is untrue. It stated that “someone shot a video and shared it on social media, giving a picture as if the hospital staff did not provide a stretcher, which was untrue”.
Meanwhile, after the video went viral, the superintendent also filed a police case against those reporting the false narration on social media.
Telangana Health Minister T Harish Rao also asked the Director of Medical Education (DME) to conduct an inquiry into the incident, ascertain the facts, and submit a report to him.
Meanwhile, the superintendent also stated that the hospital is serving the people of Nizamabad and other areas in many ways, providing all kinds of treatment, all kinds of facilities, and achieving a special identity in the state of Telangana.
“I would like to inform you that this incident has nothing to do with the government hospital,” she said in her statement.
South First tried to find the patient’s details to get their version of event, but couldn’t speak to either the patient or his attendants.
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