Day ‘under-observation’ at ICU becomes horror day for father

Bengaluru: Last Friday evening was immensely stressful for 38-year-old Prashant, whose child was suffering from high fever that would not come down. Suspecting it to be dengue, he rushed the child to Shanbagh Hospital near his residence.

“They conducted the blood tests for dengue, and fortunately, the platelet count was found to be 1,20,000, which was normal," Prashant said. (A steep fall in platelet count indicates dengue.)

“Despite the normal reading, the hospital asked us to admit our son, and we did. The hospital has special wards and general wards, but we were specifically told to put my five-year-seven-month-old son in the ICU. They said that it was for the better care of the child. The hospital’s ICU unit opened just a week ago. How can you admit a small child at a new setup and experiment with his life," asked the father.

“They told me that in other wards, a single nurse took care of 4-5 patients. I agreed as the health of my son was at stake," he said.

Prashant said that he and his family members always visited Shanbhag Hospital for their healthcare needs, but it was the first time that he faced such a situation. The hospital was recently taken over by Ananya Hospital. Prashant said that the ICU was not adequately staffed. "There were no helpers, and my wife had to do everything. The nurses too were not alert. Despite these problems, they charged me around Rs 16,000. It was nothing but extortion,” he alleged.

“The staff told me that if I was critical of everything at the hospital, I could take my child somewhere else. They discharged my son, but did not give the discharge advice. It is common practice to give a prescription of drugs after the discharge. When I went back and asked, the doctor told me, with a laugh, that he forgot to give us the medical advice," Prashant said.

Deccan Chronicle tried to contact the hospital head for an explanation, but his phone was not reachable.