The incident of an 85-year-old COVID-positive senior citizen reportedly giving up his hospital bed for a younger patient in Maharashtra has recently gone viral. Madhya Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, too, shared the story on his Twitter account.
According to the claim behind the viral post, when RSS volunteer Narayan Dabhalkar who hailed from Nagpur saw a woman pleading to get her 40-year-old COVID positive husband admitted to Indira Gandhi Hospital, he said, “I am 85 years old. I have lived my life. But if that woman's husband dies then the children will be orphaned. So, it is my duty to save that person's life.”
He then voluntarily gave up his bed at the hospital, some reports said, and died at home three days later.
The MP Chief Minister tweeted a photo of Dabhalkar and said, “RSS volunteer Narayan ji gave his bed to that patient.”
“While protecting the life of another person, Shri Narayan ji departed from this world in three days. Only true servants of society and nation can make such a sacrifice, salute your pious service! You are an inspiration for the society,” he wrote.
However, the full details of the events are still unclear, as two different versions of the incident have come up through reports.
While some reports claimed that he went against the advice of the hospital doctors and got himself discharged, certain other reports, quoting doctors, claimed that the hospital wasn’t aware that he intended to give up his bed.
When The Quint got in touch with the hospital, Sheelu Chimurkar, the doctor in-charge, said, “Narayan Dabhadar entered the casualty ward of the hospital. But at 7:30 pm, he demanded to return home. We explained to him and his family to not take such a decision, but they did not agree. We cannot confirm the matter of giving up his bed to someone else. He did not write any letter to the hospital, indicating his wish. He was also informed that he may have to go to Phusare Hospital for an ICU bed. After that, he decided to return home.”
However, Speaking to The Quint, Ashawari Kothwar, Dabhalkar’s daughter said, “'We found a bed for my father after looking for many hours. His oxygen level was low and he needed intensive care. He saw a commotion on the hospital corridor. People were looking for beds. He couldn't bear it. He called me and told me to take him home. I tried to convince him that he needed intensive care and that we had found the bed after a lot of difficulty. He didn't listen. He said that he had lived his life and wanted to give a chance to another person.”
She claimed that her late father confided in only his family members regarding his wish to give up the bed for others.
“He only told this to me and my family members who were there with him, not to the doctors. The doctors also tried tried to convince him not to get discharged. We brought him home, but he died in a couple of days. We don’t know what happened after that; if someone else got the bed or not. We are not interested in getting publicity. We know that he made a sacrifice and that is an inspiration for us,” his daughter told The Quint.
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