On the evening of July 13, Narayan Mitra, a 70-year-old businessman from Assam’s Silchar city, came down with a high temperature. Soon, he ...
On the evening of July 13, Narayan Mitra, a 70-year-old businessman from Assam’s Silchar city, came down with a high temperature. Soon, he began to feel breathless. A chronic asthma patient, Mitra reached out for his inhaler, but found little relief.
In the morning, his son Abhijit Mitra phoned their family physician who suggested getting a Covid-19 test done. Abhijit Mitra accompanied his father to the government-run Silchar Medical College and Hospital on July 15. They travelled in an auto rickshaw. Narayan Mitra, his son said, was in fairly good spirits all the while. “He was a little weak and had some breathing troubles, but he was quite normal, conversing with the auto-driver the entire way,” said Abhijit Mitra.
At the hospital, the Mitras were told that they would need a clearance from a doctor to get a Covid-19 test. As they waited for a doctor, the on-duty health workers checked Narayan Mitra’s vitals and temperature. They also measured his blood oxygen levels using a pulse oximeter. It was dangerously low. He had to be administered oxygen immediately, the health workers reportedly told Abhijit Mitra – the Covid-19 test could wait. Narayan Mitra was whisked away to the emergency ward.
Soon, things took a turn for...
