Patient forcibly discharged from Mangaluru hospital, faints near border after walking nearly 50 km

Kasaragod, Apr 01: A Keralite patient, who was reportedly forcibly discharged from a Mangaluru government hospital, walked over 50 km and fainted as he neared the border here on Wednesday, police said.

The patient, Balan, was admitted to the hospital in that town on March 21 after he fell from a coconut tree. He told police that he was forcibly discharged by hospital authorities.

On getting information, Kerala police arranged a vehicle for the patient and his relative and dropped them home at Kanhangad, Kasaragod Superintendent of Police P S Sabu said.

Since neighbouring Karnataka has blocked border roads with Kerala following the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown, patients depending on Mangaluru for their treatment are finding it extremely difficult to go there. Seven seriously ill patients from Kasaragod have lost their lives since March 27 after the border roads were shut by Karnataka.