A 57-year-old head constable attached with the Kurla traffic division of Mumbai Police, who was denied admission in four civic hospitals died of Covid-19 on Monday. He was undergoing treatment at Parel’s King Edward Memorial Hospital. This is the third death due to coronavirus from the Mumbai police force in the last 48-hours.
Over 50 policemen from the city police have tested positive for Covid-19 so far and are undergoing treatment at various hospitals. He is the third Mumbai police constable to succumb to Covid-19.
A senior police officer confirmed the development to HT. Mumbai Police on Monday evening informed about the demise of the head constable through Twitter.
The head constable had tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday and was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of KEM Hospital. He had medical history of blood pressure, a senior police officer said.
On April 21, he was allegedly denied admission by four civic hospitals despite having coronavirus symptoms. The head constable’s 25-year-old son rushed him to Rajawadi Hospital around 2 pm after he had developed fever. The doctors conducted preliminary analysis and recommended home quarantine for him. “When I asked them to admit him, they claimed there was no bed available and asked me to take him to Kasturba Hospital,” the head constable’s son earlier speaking with HT said.
He then took his father to Kasturba Hospital, where doctors supplied oxygen to the head constable. “They asked me to take him to Nair Hospital and didn’t even take my father’s swab for testing,” the 25-year-old alleged.
At Nair Hospital, too, the authorities did not admit him stating they had no beds and that they did not test patients. “On their recommendation, I took my father to KEM Hospital, where doctors refused to admit him. After I contacted the police, my father was admitted to the ICU at 11pm,” the youth said.
“My father has given 28 years to police service. If anything goes wrong, the doctors are responsible,” an emotional son had said.
The deceased cop’s brother is also a policeman attached with the Mumbai Crime Branch. The head constable lived with his wife, two sons and two daughters at Kurla’s Kamani slums. His elder son works as a CCTV operator at Mantralaya for a private firm on contract basis.
A 35-year-old constable, also attached with the Kurla traffic division, has tested positive for Covid-19, and has been admitted to Thane’s Kaushalya Hospital. It is suspected that he contracted the virus from the head constable.
Dr Daksha Shah, deputy health officer, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), on Friday had said that the constable was stable and the hospital’s dean will speak to his family about their complaint.
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