Bhopal’s all five dead COVID-19 patients were also victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
This was claimed by a number of organisations representing the gas tragedy survivors.
There are 158 COVID-19 positive patients in Bhopal presently.
The patients, who have died of COVID-19 so far, are aged between 49-80 years.
They resided in different localities that were affected by the 1984 gas tragedy.
“The first COVID-19 patient died on April 6, second and third on April 12, fourth on April 13 and the fifth on April 14,” said one of the organisations.
“All of them were the victims of 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy,” it further added.
The organisation further said that one of the deceased was suffering from oral cancer, while another was suffering from tuberculosis.
“The one suffering from tuberculosis had recovered from the disease,” the organisation added.
“The other three deceased COVID-19 patients were also suffering from various other ailments,” the organisation added.
“One of them was a journalist,” the organisation further added.
One of the five happened to be a journalist, as per associations and officials from the district administration.
Meanwhile, Bhopal Group for Information and Action (BGIA) has moved the High Court for a direction to the Madhya Pradesh government to de-notify 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 in March.
“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,” reported Hindustan Times quoting BGIA convener Rachna Dhingra.
Notably, after being notified as a COVID-19 hospital, BMHRC’s OPD service was for gas victims.
As many as 65 patients were discharged from the hospital and only a few patients were allowed to remain.
There were 31 patients on dialysis who were shifted to another hospital and 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,” further reported Hindustan Times quoting Member of the Supreme Court’s monitoring committee for gas victims Purnendu Shukla.
“And now the results are there for all to see. All the five Covid-19 patients who have died are gas tragedy victims,” the newspaper further reported quoting Shukla.
