60-yr-old patient claims he was stuck inside MRI machine as staff forgot to take him out
Chandigarh, Sep 23: An elderly man had a narrow escape when a technician allegedly left him unattended inside an MRI machine in a Haryana hospital on Monday, forcing him to break its belt to come out.
The 60-year-old told reporters in Panchkula that he went to the civil hospital in the city to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.
According to the complainant, the technician said the process could take 10-15 minutes, but forgot to take him out from the machine, a charge the hospital denies.
"I was gasping for breath, but no one was there to take me out," he said. "Finally, after struggling for over half-an-hour, I somehow managed to break the machine belt and came out."
Alleging gross medical negligence, the sexagenarian filed a police complaint demanding strict action as per law against the guilty. He said CCTV footage of the area where the scan took place should be procured from the hospital.
The hospital, however, maintained that the patient was taken out of the machine by the technician. It said the patient was informed that his scan could involve a longer duration, but he "panicked".
A Panchkula police officer said the matter was being investigated.
Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij told reporters that he learnt about the incident through media reports and had sought detailed a report from the director general, health.
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Wildfires race across Chile, leaving 15 dead, forcing thousands to flee
Penco (Chile) (AP): Wildfires raging across central and southern Chile on Sunday left at least 15 people dead, scorched thousands of acres of forest and destroyed scores of homes, authorities said, as the South American country swelters under a heat wave.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in the country's central Biobio region and the neighbouring Nuble region, around 500 kilometres south of Santiago, the capital.
The emergency designation allows greater coordination with the military to rein in two dozen wildfires that have so far blazed through 8,500 hectares and prompted 50,000 people to evacuate, according to Chilean Security Minister Luis Cordero.
“All resources are available,” Boric wrote on X.
But local officials reported that for hours on Sunday, destruction was everywhere and help from the federal government was nowhere.
“Dear President Boric, from the bottom of my heart, I have been here for four hours, a community is burning and there is no (government) presence,” said Rodrigo Vera, the mayor of the small coastal town of Penco in the Biobio region. “How can a minister do nothing but call me to tell me that the military is going to arrive at some point?”
Firefighters were struggling to extinguish the flames, but strong winds and scorching weather hampered their efforts Sunday with temperatures topping 38 C (100 F).
Residents said that the fires took them by surprise after midnight, trapping them in their homes.
“Many people didn't evacuate. They stayed in their houses because they thought the fire would stop at the edge of the forest,” said John Guzman, 55, surveying the scene in Penco, where smoke blanketed the sky in an orange haze. “It was completely out of control. No one expected it."
Although the total number of homes burned nationwide remained unclear, one municipality of Concepcion in Biobio reported 253 homes destroyed.
“We fled running, with the kids, in the dark,” said Juan Lagos, 52, also in Penco. The fire engulfed most of the city, burning cars, a school and a church.
Charred bodies were found across fields, homes, along roads and in cars.
“From what we can see, there are people who died ... and we knew them well," said Víctor Burboa, 54. "Everyone here knew them.”
