54 year old Journalist from city lost battle to Covid-19

Oxygen cylinder in ambulance which he was been carried exhausted

@AbhitashS

Navi Mumbai: In one more tragic setback to the journalist fraternity after the death of Pune young journalist from TV-9 Pandurang Raikar another senior Journalist Santosh Pawar (54) lost the battle to Covid-19 on Wednesday, September 9, 2020. He lost his life because the oxygen cylinder in the ambulance which he was being carried was exhausted leading to his death.

According to local reports Santosh Pawar was a senior journalist and former corporator from Matheran died at hospital in Khalapur where he had to be admitted after an oxygen cylinders in the 108 ambulance in which he was being taken ran out of supply and the other cylinder which was on standby was rendered unusable. The condition of Santosh Pawar was already serious when he was brought to the hospital, doctors said.

Amol Kamble, Senior Journalist from the city said, “Santosh Pawar was first admitted at sub-district hospital in Karjat when he started showing the Symptoms of Covid-19 and later when his health started deteriorating he was shifted to Dr. DY Patil Hospital in Nerul on Wednesday. When his health deteriorated further he was being carried in an ambulance where the oxygen cylinder on ambulance was exhausted and the doctor on board tried to use the standby oxygen cylinder but it’s humidifier bottle broke and Santosh Pawar had to be rushed to a nearby government hospital at Chowk.”

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“As per my knowledge the patient was very critical when he was brought to the hospital. And the patient was on a high flow of oxygen, oxygen in one of the cylinders ran out and the humidifier Bottle of the other cylinders broke. The doctors connected oxygen to the Ambu bag and gave cardiopulmonary resuscitation but was unable to save the patient” said Dr. Gajanan Puranik, head of operations at 108 Maharashtra Emergency Medical Service.

Senior Journalist and Social Activist from Panvel Kantilal Kadu said, “It is really sad news that within a short span of time two journalists from the state lost the battle to Covid-19 and they lost it because of the ill health facilities in hospitals by the government. It is shameful that the ambulance which was carrying Santosh Pawar ran out of oxygen supply and the other cylinder too broke.

Earlier a young journalist Pandurang Raikar lost his life due to unavailability of cardiac ambulance. I can say that it is not a normal death by Covid-19 but it is murder of journalists by the government machineries. All the journalists should come forward and seek answers from the government that why the journalists which are considered as the fourth pillar of the constitution are being treated so badly.”

All the journalists from Navi Mumbai and Panvel paid their condolences to the departed soul of Santosh Pawar and also assured support to his family during the time of grief. Santosh Pawar was the editor of Maharashtra News 24.-By Abhitash D.Singh