Hospital rejections and desperate plea: How lack of care cost Bengaluru man his life

Bengaluru: The life of 34-year-old mechanic Venkataramanan was cut short by a series of critical healthcare lapses and a chilling display of public indifference on Tuesday evening. His death has put a spotlight on the urgent need for robust emergency services and basic human empathy in India's bustling urban centres.

The nightmare began when Venkataramanan, a resident of Balaji Nagar, was struck by severe chest pain. With no ambulance readily available, his wife decided to transport him on their motorcycle for medical aid.

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No doctor was available to attend to him

Their search for medical aid turned into a cruel odyssey of rejections. The first stop at a private hospital proved futile; they were reportedly turned away with the explanation that "no doctor was available" to attend to him.

Undeterred, the couple rushed to a second hospital. Here, an Electrocardiogram (ECG)  showed Venkataramanan had suffered a mild heart attack. Surprisingly, staff at this facility allegedly neither initiated any immediate emergency treatment nor arranged for an ambulance to transfer him to a more equipped facility where he could have been treated.

Couple met with an accident during their search for hospital

Forced back onto the road, still on the motorcycle, the couple's ordeal intensified catastrophically. They met with an accident, leaving Venkataramanan injured and lying on the road.

The CCTV footage from the scene captures the harrowing moments that followed. His wife, her hands folded in a desperate plea, frantically waved down passing vehicles for help went unnoticed. In a gut-wrenching indictment of societal apathy, several vehicles reportedly drove past without stopping, leaving the injured man and his distraught wife stranded.

 Several vehicles reportedly drove past without stopping

It was only after a prolonged, agonising wait that a compassionate cab driver finally intervened, offering to transport Venkataramanan to another hospital. However, by then, it was too late. He was tragically declared dead on arrival by the doctors.

Venkataramanan leaves behind a five-year-old son, an 18-month-old daughter, and his mother, who has endured the unimaginable pain of losing five other children before this latest tragedy. In a testament to the enduring human spirit even amidst profound grief, the family chose to donate his eyes, offering a final, selfless gift in the face of overwhelming loss.