Hyderabad, Apr 23 (IANS): Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has come to the rescue of a temple priest who had tested positive for Covid-19 by allocating him a bed at a hospital run by his organisation.

Narsimhaiah, the head priest of Lal Darwaza temple in the Old City neighbourhood of Hyderabad, could not get a bed in any hospital even as his oxygen level had dropped on Thursday after testing positive for the virus.

The family of the 80-year-old priest of the famous Mahankali temple at Lal Darwaza telephoned Owaisi, who immediately asked his aides to arrange a bed in the Princess Esra Hospital.

Narsimhaiah is being given oxygen at the hospital and his condition is stated to be stable.

The relatives of the priest and the temple committee thanked the MP for the timely help. Owaisi's gesture also came in for praise from the people on various social media platforms.

The Princes Esra Hospital located in the Old City is a part of the Owaisi Group of Hospitals.

Hyderabad has been witnessing a massive surge in Covid cases during the ongoing second wave. The Telangana capital broke a new record on Thursday with the daily spike crossing the 1,000-mark. It was the highest single-day spike since the pandemic broke out last year.

The state government continues to maintain that there is no shortage of beds or oxygen in the hospitals.