Lack of medical support, no oxygen: Village near Lucknow sees 45 Covid deaths in a month
As many as 45 people have died in the village of Jaggaur, just 20 kilometres from Lucknow, in the last month. The deaths have not been recorded in the files as Covid-related but the patients in the majority of the cases had Covid-like symptoms.
Abhishek Mishra
The rural areas of Uttar Pradesh have been recording a high number of Covid-19 cases as well as increasing case fatality rate in the second wave. Reports of sudden deaths are on the rise not only in the backward rural belt but also in villages close to the capital.
In Juggaur village, just 20 kilometres from Lucknow, nearly 45 deaths with unusual symptoms were reported in the previous month.
Even though the deaths have not been recorded in the files as Covid-linked, the patients in majority of the cases had Covid-like symptoms. The villagers claimed that a majority of sudden deaths occurred due to a lack of medical support, oxygen, and collapsed health facilities amid the recent crisis.
Jaggaur village, located in Lucknow tehsil of Lucknow district in Uttar Pradesh, has a total population of 9,478, as per the 2011 census.
Read | No toilets and doctors missing, UP villages bank on faith to battle Covid
‘No government to rescue Jaggaur’
Kaushal Kishore Mishra, 60, a local villager, said even after so many deaths, no MLA, MP, or government representative visited the village despite its proximity to the state capital.
"There has been no sanitization or testing work at the village and the situation worsened during the pandemic when people died due to insufficient medical care," Kaushal added.
‘They could not save her’
Speaking to India Today TV, Asha Devi, 60, shared her tragic story of losing her 22-year-old daughter Roshni, who was suffering from a terminal illness that worsened within a week.
Asha Devi claimed that just a few days before her death, her daughter experienced symptoms of fever and was taken to a nearby community health centre and then to a private hospital for treatment. However, despite all her efforts, her daughter was unable to obtain proper medication and died.
Ram Manohar, Roshni's younger uncle, said with tears in his eyes that they did everything they could to save her. "The medication prescribed by a local doctor failed to save her life, and she died at such a young age," he said.
Nowhere to admit’
Anup Kumar Mishra, 52, shared the story of his wife, Meenu Mishra, who died three days after experiencing Covid-19 symptoms.
Mishra said his wife was suffering from fever, cold, and breathing problems. With no nearby facility to conduct a Covid-19 test, Anup Kumar Mishra tried to hospitalise her but could not find a bed in any government hospital.
She breathed her last in the house, leaving behind four daughters and one son.
Similarly, Mohammed Halim, 40, who lost his 65-year-old mother, Afroz Jahaan, said the primary health care centres did not have enough facilities. His mother was suffering from fever and breathing problems.
Halim claimed that even after her death, no official from the health department came to inquire or arrange for testing of other family members or sanitisation in the village.
READ | No toilets and doctors missing, UP villages bank on faith to battle Covid
READ | Sanitisation drive in one village, deaths in another: Ground report on Covid management in Uttar Pradesh
As many as 45 people have died in the village of Jaggaur, just 20 kilometres from Lucknow, in the last month. The deaths have not been recorded in the files as Covid-related but the patients in the majority of the cases had Covid-like symptoms.
Abhishek Mishra
The rural areas of Uttar Pradesh have been recording a high number of Covid-19 cases as well as increasing case fatality rate in the second wave. Reports of sudden deaths are on the rise not only in the backward rural belt but also in villages close to the capital.
In Juggaur village, just 20 kilometres from Lucknow, nearly 45 deaths with unusual symptoms were reported in the previous month.
Even though the deaths have not been recorded in the files as Covid-linked, the patients in majority of the cases had Covid-like symptoms. The villagers claimed that a majority of sudden deaths occurred due to a lack of medical support, oxygen, and collapsed health facilities amid the recent crisis.
Jaggaur village, located in Lucknow tehsil of Lucknow district in Uttar Pradesh, has a total population of 9,478, as per the 2011 census.
Read | No toilets and doctors missing, UP villages bank on faith to battle Covid
‘No government to rescue Jaggaur’
Kaushal Kishore Mishra, 60, a local villager, said even after so many deaths, no MLA, MP, or government representative visited the village despite its proximity to the state capital.
"There has been no sanitization or testing work at the village and the situation worsened during the pandemic when people died due to insufficient medical care," Kaushal added.
‘They could not save her’
Speaking to India Today TV, Asha Devi, 60, shared her tragic story of losing her 22-year-old daughter Roshni, who was suffering from a terminal illness that worsened within a week.
Asha Devi claimed that just a few days before her death, her daughter experienced symptoms of fever and was taken to a nearby community health centre and then to a private hospital for treatment. However, despite all her efforts, her daughter was unable to obtain proper medication and died.
Ram Manohar, Roshni's younger uncle, said with tears in his eyes that they did everything they could to save her. "The medication prescribed by a local doctor failed to save her life, and she died at such a young age," he said.
Nowhere to admit’
Anup Kumar Mishra, 52, shared the story of his wife, Meenu Mishra, who died three days after experiencing Covid-19 symptoms.
Mishra said his wife was suffering from fever, cold, and breathing problems. With no nearby facility to conduct a Covid-19 test, Anup Kumar Mishra tried to hospitalise her but could not find a bed in any government hospital.
She breathed her last in the house, leaving behind four daughters and one son.
Similarly, Mohammed Halim, 40, who lost his 65-year-old mother, Afroz Jahaan, said the primary health care centres did not have enough facilities. His mother was suffering from fever and breathing problems.
Halim claimed that even after her death, no official from the health department came to inquire or arrange for testing of other family members or sanitisation in the village.
READ | No toilets and doctors missing, UP villages bank on faith to battle Covid
READ | Sanitisation drive in one village, deaths in another: Ground report on Covid management in Uttar Pradesh
