A 40-year-old man died at a hospital after his family members allegedly unplugged the ventilator he was on to plug in an air cooler.
Hospital authorities said a three-member committee will probe the incident.
According to reports, the patient, who was suspected to be suffering from COVID-19, was brought to the ICU of the government-run hospital in the Kota city of India’s Rajasthan state on June 13. His test report, however, came negative later.
The man was shifted to an isolation ward on June 15 as a safety measure after another patient in the ICU tested positive for the disease.
Since it was very hot in the isolation ward, his family members bought an air cooler the same day. On finding no socket for the cooler, they allegedly unplugged the ventilator.
They immediately informed doctors and medical staff, who administered CPR upon the patient, but he died.
Hospital Superintendent Dr Naveen Saxena said the committee comprising the deputy superintendent, nursing superintendent and chief medical officer on duty will probe the incident and submit a report.
The committee has recorded statements of medical staff in the isolation ward but the family members of the deceased patient are not responding to the panel, he alleged.
The family members allegedly did not seek permission to plug in the cooler and when the patient died, they “misbehaved” with the medical staff and the resident doctor on duty, other hospital authorities said.
