Vijayawada: Body of missing senior citizen found in mortuary of Covid hospital

Vijayawada: The body of a senior citizen who has been missing since June 24 was finally found in the mortuary of the Covid hospital also known as new government general hospital here on Friday.

Padepalli Dhanalakshmi of old city took her husband Vasanta Rao, 63, to a private hospital on June 24 when he felt uneasy and short of breath. The private hospital staff told her to take him to the Covid hospital as there were symptoms of Covid19.

Dhanalakshmi took him to Covid hospital on June 24 where she was told that the pulse rate of the patient was falling and he needed to be administered oxygen. She was told to go home and bring Aadhaar card next day. When on June 25, she went to the hospital, nobody answered to her query about her husband. She alleged that the hospital staff told her that her husband went away from the hospital. She wondered as to how her husband, who was not in a position even to breathe, could go away from the hospital.

Since then she has been running from pillar to post to find out the whereabouts of her husband. She even tried in vain to contact the district collector.

The police registered a missing case on June 30 and started investigation.

On Friday, the police found the body of Vasanta Rao in the mortuary of the Covid hospital much to the shock of Dhanalakshmi.

Dhanalakshmi, who was crying inconsolably, alleged that the hospital staff was responsible for the death of her husband. The couple had no children and their relatives did not come forward to help them fearing Coronavirus.