Gold jewellery goes missing from COVID dead in Odisha hospital

Cuttack: In a bizarre incident,  an unidentified miscreant allegedly looted a gold chain with pendant from the body of a COVID-19 woman patient at SCB Medical College and Hospital here yesterday.

However, a complaint has been lodged at the police outpost of the hospital in this regard.

Sources said a 67-year-old woman died due to the deadly virus at isolation ward of the hospital yesterday morning. And the theft came to fore after the body was being taken for cremation after 14 long hours of her death. Besides, her family alleged that medical negligence led to the death of the elderly woman.

The deceased woman’s son Subodh, a resident of Baramunda area in Bhubaneswar, said  his mother suddenly fell sick and complained of breathing difficulty on Monday.  After two Government hospitals in Bhubaneswar denied admission to the elderly woman, Subodh took his mother to SCB. But instead of providing treatment, the woman was allegedly shifted to the isolation ward of the hospital and no doctor attended her till late. Besides, the doctors allegedly delayed  administering oxygen to the patient. At around 6 AM yesterday she died at hospital, but the workers concerned did not take the body for cremation till evening citing necessary paper works.

Later, when the family members asked the staff about the gold chain that the woman had worn, the latter refused to know anything about the jewellery.

An inquiry by police has been initiated following a complaint lodged by the family, sources added.