Article 35 of the Constitution of Nepal states that under the fundamental rights, every citizen shall have the right to receive free basic health care from the state and no one shall be deprived of emergency health care.

But, Dambar Kumari Basnet, 65, of Chaudandigadhi Municipality-6 died on August 30 due to lack of treatment. According to Pashupati Bhandari, son-in-law of the deceased, Basnet had started choking while eating and wasn’t able to swallow the food. She died due to lack of treatment.

According to the victim’s family, they visited nine hospitals in Biratnagar after she was rushed to Biratnagar from Udayapur for treatment but none of the hospitals admitted her due to risk of coronavirus.

She was rushed to Beltar Primary Health Centre for treatment. After primary treatment, she was sent to Biratnagar for further treatment, informed the health centre.

The patient was rushed to Morang Cooperative, Max Hospital, Neuro Hospital, Green Cross Hospital, Lifeguard Hospital, Virat Nursing (Biratnagar Hospital), Virat Medical College, Golden Hospital and Koshi Hospital in Biratnagar, informed ambulance driver Deepak Khatri.

The hospitals refused to admit the patient saying that she was infected with the coronavirus, said his son-in-law Bhandari. Bhandari said that the hospitals did not allow them to enter the hospital even though they said that she was not infected with the coronavirus and was unconscious because she choked on food.

‘In the end, Golden Hospital checked the chest X-ray, blood, etc., and said the patient had to be kept in the ICU, but the ICU was not empty, they were forced to bring her home’, said Bhandari.

He said that she was brought home at 8 am on August 30 after being refused for treatment. The patient died three hours after she was brought home.