MP health worker collapses in heat, no help for 25 min

Sagar: A health worker helping COVID-19 patients in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district fell unconscious while carrying out his duties, but was left by the side of the road for nearly 25 minutes in 44 degree Celsius heat before being transported to the hospital.

Hiralal Prajapati, a health worker attached to the 108 ambulance service, passed out at around 2 pm on Wednesday, after helping transport coronavirus positive people from the TB Hospital to Bundelkhand Medical College (BMC),According to local reports, Mr Prajapti, who was wearing a full-body PPE (personal protective equipment) in searing heat, collapsed near the BMC facility, but was left on the ground for nearly half an hour as his colleague, the ambulance driver, pleaded with BMC authorities to admit him.

Eventually, after BMC refused to take care of the health worker, he was taken by other paramedical staff, in his own ambulance, to the district hospital, where he was treated. Mr Prajapati has recovered and is in stable condition now. Madhya Pradesh has reported over 7,000 COVID-19 cases so far, with 313 deaths linked to the infectious virus.

Indore city in the state is one of the worst affected urban areas in the country, with over 3,000 cases reported from there alone; 78 new cases were detected on Wednesday, according to Chief Medical Officer Praveen Jadia. In an order issued yesterday, the government decided to impose an Rs 2,000 fine on those violating home quarantine. The state health department also said that those found violating rules for a second time would be forced into institutional quarantine.