Patna, Apr 14 (IANS): A 60-year-old person lost his life in an ambulance at the Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) after the hospital administration allegedly denied him admission in the Covid ward since an inspection by Bihar health minister Mangal Pandey was underway.

The deceased, Vinod Kumar Singh, a resident of Lakhisarai district, was suffering from fever and his son Abhimanyu Singh claims he first took him to AIIMS-Patna. "As the casualty doctors of AIIMS0Patna refused him admission on Monday night, we went to NMCH on Tuesday morning. The doctors at NMCH refused my father admission in the Covid ward as an inspection of Mangal Pandey was scheduled there," alleged Abhimanyu.

"We were waiting in the ambulance since morning and requested the doctors several times to admit him, but they refused. The doctors told me the patients would get admitted only after the inspection of the health minister gets over. As we had no other option, we waited in the ambulance where my father lost his life," he added.

But Dr Vinod Singh, the medical superintendent of NMCH has denied the allegations levelled by the victim's family members.

"The patient died before arrival in the hospital premises. The hospital administration was not involved in giving VIP treatment to the minister. During his visit, only three medical officers were with him during the inspection and he was provided information about the facilities in the hospital. The claims of the deceased's son are absolutely false," added Singh.