Mysuru, 17 June

After footage of a man claiming that 12 people died due to a lack of doctors at the Mysuru Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences & Research went viral on social media on Tuesday night, the hospital director denied that deaths occurred due to a lack of doctors, saying that the patients who passed away were already in a critical condition.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday after checking in on the facility, Mysuru’s Jayadeva Hospital director Dr HB Dinesha, said that about 62 patients have died this month in the institution.

He noted that the hospital primarily registers patients from Mysuru and its adjoining districts - Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, and Hassan. Between 600 and 800 patients daily are registered to the hospital, as it was a common referral hospital by the government for heart care and critical patients.

However, among the inpatients admitted to the hospital, 20 per cent are usually in a critical stage.  Dr Dinesha said that the survival rate for such risky patients is only around 5-10 per cent.

“(But) the hospital admits serious cases, provides treatment for them in ICU facilities without considering their economic background,” he added. “Those 12 people who died by heart attack at the hospital on Tuesday were all aged, sick, diabetic and admitted beyond the golden hours of the last stages of treatment. They were also suffering from chronic heart problems. Except for one patient, the remaining were all above 50 years old.”

Dr Dinesha also dismissed the viral video’s allegations of a shortage of doctors, specialists, and staff. He noted that the mortality rate of the hospital stood at 5.37 per cent against the national average of 12. 57 per cent.