Salman Sulemani, 26, died at AIIMS Rishikesh on Thursday morning after being turned away from several hospitals in New Delhi. He had also tested positive for coronavirus.
Salman is survived by a four-year-old daughter and wife.
"He had breathing troubles since Friday," Salman's father Rashid Khan told News18. "We first took him to Malviya Nagar Hospital where we were told that it is normal cough and there is no reason to worry."
"After this we took him to Max Hospital in Delhi on Saturday. They initially told us they will charge Rs 15,000 per day but later said they do not have the required facilities," he added.
From there, the family took Salman to Batra Hospital. "They asked us to make an upfront payment of Rs 3 lakh and said if the patient tests positive for COVID-19, the treatment will cost Rs 6 lakh," said Khan.
"After this I took him to RML hospital. They told us to either go to AIIMS or to Safdarjung Hospital. From there I went to Lok Narayan Hospital. There they told us they are not admitting patients as they do not have enough facilities," he added.
Salman was finally taken to AIIMS Rishikesh where he tested positive and was on ventilator for the last two days.
"What is Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal boasting about when he says there are empty beds?" asked Khan who is currently in quarantine in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar. Salman's brother, Arbaaz, had stayed back with him at the hospital.
Kejriwal on Tuesday launched a mobile application to help people know how many beds are lying vacant in which hospital in the national capital. “We have been telling you that the Delhi government has made adequate arrangement for COVID-19 patients -- in terms of number of hospitals, beds in there, the ICU facility in those hospitals and how many ventilators are there,” he had said at a press conference.
Arbaaz, meanwhile, has been waiting for his brother's body. "The hospital authorities called me at around 6:30 am in the morning and asked me to sign a form. Close to half an hour later, they again called me up to inform that my brother was no more," he said.
AIIMS Rishikesh Central Public Information Officer Harish Thapliyal told News18 they had been informed that hospitals in Delhi had denied treatment. "We accepted the critical case and he was put on ventilator immediately. His positive result for COVID-19 was confirmed last evening. Family members will now be able to take the body after the SDM arrives and the required paperwork is completed," he added.
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