Crimson Hospital of Tilottama, Rupandehi has said the COVID-19 patient from Gulmi undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) there has not died.
Issuing a statement Wednesday noon, the hospital said the man is on ventilator at the ICU.
Social Development Minister of Province 5 Sudarshan Baral earlier had told Setopati that the man from Gulmi has died. "The information about his death came 15 minutes ago. We are gathering additional information," Minister Baral had said.
Setopati had reported that Nepal suffered the third COVID-19 death on the basis of that information. Other media houses also reported the death quoting hospital promoter Durga Pandey and Mayor of Tilottama municipality Basu Dev Ghimire.
Setopati asked Mayor Ghimire why he claimed the patient has died after the hospital issued the statement. He said hospital promoter Pandey had told him in the morning saying the patient has died, and he had spoken to the media on the basis of that information. "Pandey is chairman of our ward no 7 and member of the executive committee. I spoke on the basis of the information he gave. The hospital later said he has not died. I fail to understand anything," Ghimire said.
Pandey, however, claimed that he has not given the information about death.
Setopati published the news on the basis of information given by a responsible provincial minister. The hospital now has refuted the information he gave. Setopati apologizes for the inconvenience of our esteemed readers due to that news report.
