Denied oxygen support for 20 mins at govt hospital, DCW member's father succumbs to death: Maliwal
New Delhi: AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Sunday alleged that a DCW member's father died at a Delhi government-run hospital after being denied oxygen support for over 20 minutes.
Maliwal has called for strict action against hospital authorities. Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj assured her that strict action will be taken against those found guilty.
The incident comes weeks after a man succumbed to his injuries when four hospitals, including three Delhi government ones, denied him admission, citing lack of medical facilities or beds.\ GTB Hospital was among the hospitals that had allegedly turned away the patient on January 3.
A show cause notice was sent to the hospital's medical director and directions were issued to all state-run hospitals to not turn away patients in any scenario.
In a post on X, Maliwal, who is a former chief of Delhi Commission For Women (DCW), said, ''Sitting in GB Pant hospital with my former colleague Firdaus Khan, Member DCW. Her father was admitted in emergency but denied oxygen for over 20 mins. He has died on the spot." ''If a woman who has fought for the rights of others for the past 9 years is treated like this, what will happen to common people. Request @Saurabh_MLAgk to ensure strict action against the doctor authorities!" she said.
Responding to Maliwal's allegations, Bharadwaj said such "negligence" in hospitals will not be tolerated.
''We will enquire into this and strict action will be recommended against those found guilty. Will be issuing instructions to the Secretary, Health to visit one hospital every working day and submit an action taken report for each hospital. These negligences cannot be tolerated,'' the minister said.
Sitting in GB Pant hospital with my former colleague Firdaus Khan, Member DCW. Her father was admitted in emergency but denied oxygen for over 20 mins. He has died on the spot.
— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) January 21, 2024
If a woman who has fought for the rights of others for the past 9 years is treated like this, what…
We will enquire into this and strict action will be recommended against those found guilty.
— Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) January 21, 2024
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Old video falsely shared as 'situation in China' amid recent HMPV outbreak
The Verdict (Misleading)
The video, online since at least 2022, predates the recent rise in HMPV cases in China and is unrelated to the current outbreak.
What is the claim?
A video showing individuals in white personal protective equipment (PPE) dragging people has been shared online, claiming to show the situation in China amid an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by human metapneumovirus (HMPV). The claim has circulated alongside reports of rising HMPV cases in China.
An X user shared the video, writing, “Pandemic 2.0 is coming Curiously, just with Trump's presidency, China has just declared a state of health emergency. The authorities are not giving information about the virus or variants (translated from Spanish)." Archived links to similar posts can be found here and here.
HMPV is a virus from the Pneumoviridae family that affects the lungs and causes respiratory illness similar to the common cold. First identified in the Netherlands in 2001, the virus can cause symptoms such as coughing, fever, nasal congestion, and wheezing. [Learn more about the virus and the outbreak in China here.]
Screenshot of the viral video shared online. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)
However, we found that the video currently circulating is at least two years old and predates the HMPV outbreak.
Here are the facts
A reverse image search revealed the same video was posted by X user @fangshimin on October 29, 2022 (archived here). The caption stated, “China's 'Crystal Night': large numbers of White Guards went out in the middle of the night and dragged people to concentration camps (translated from Chinese)."
The video was also uploaded to a YouTube channel called ‘China in Real Life’ on May 22, 2022 (archived here). It was captioned, “China Guangdong Medical Staff Drag Citizens to Quarantine Camp at Midnight.” This indicates the video has been online since at least 2022 and cannot depict a recent HMPV outbreak in China.
A November 2022 Yahoo News report referenced the video, noting that X user Songpinganq shared it on October 22, 2022. The report did not confirm the exact location or date of the footage.
Comparison of the viral video and the visuals published by Yahoo News in 2022. (Source: X/Yahoo News)
While Logically Facts could not independently verify the precise date and location of the video, available evidence shows it is not recent.
The verdict
A video that has been online since at least 2022 has been misattributed to the current HMPV outbreak in China.
