IT hub Bengaluru and its struggle for healthcare

In Bengaluru, poor preparation for the second wave has resulted in mismanagement in the allocation of beds, delays in testing, and oxygen shortage. Afshan Yasmeen, K.V. Aditya Bharadwaj and Chitra V. Ramani report on the crisis engulfing a city once touted to be a popular medical tourism hub.

On the night of May 2, Sajidunnissa, 56, who had been diagnosed with COVID-19, developed acute respiratory problems. She experienced a rapid drop in her oxygen saturation levels. What followed was a harrowing 14 hours, as her family did the rounds of seven hospitals in Bengaluru desperately searching for a bed. They finally got her into the emergency room of a private hospital by which time her saturation levels had dropped to 40. Although she was administered oxygen, Sajidunnissa did not make it. On the morning of May 3, 65-year-old Jayesh R. took a turn for the worse as his oxygen saturation levels dropped to 68. His family hired a private ambulance and went knocking on the doors of hospitals for an oxygenated bed. They watched helplessly as his saturation levels dropped further. He died in the ambulance four hours into the frantic search.