When Humanity Failed Bengaluru. A Heart Attack, A Crash And A Pleading Wife

A dying man and his wife, forced to go from hospital to hospital on a bike, were faced with complete indifference, first from the medical system and then, after meeting with an accident, from passersby in Bengaluru. The man lay on the road, writhing in pain, for several minutes, and his wife pleaded for help with folded hands, but cars kept whizzing by. 

Help did come, from a cab driver who finally stopped, but it was already too late. By the time they reached a hospital, the 34-year-old was dead, leaving his five-year-old son and 18-month-old daughter without a father. 

His mother also lost her last surviving child, with the other five already having died during her lifetime.

Venkataramanan, a mechanic who worked at a garage, developed severe chest pain around 3.30 am at his house in South Bengaluru's Balaji Nagar. Officials said he had suffered a minor heart attack earlier, and his condition worsened rapidly, leaving him extremely fatigued and unwell.

With no immediate options available, the couple set out on a motorcycle to get medical assistance, with the wife riding it. They first went to a nearby private hospital, where they were allegedly told that no doctor was available. 

Venkataramanan and his wife then reached another private hospital, where an ECG (Electrocardiogram) showed he had suffered a mild heart attack. The family alleges that the hospital did not initiate emergency treatment and did not even arrange an ambulance, instead advising them to shift him to the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences in Jayanagar.

The couple once again left on the bike, but met with an accident on the way. CCTV footage shows Vekataraman's wife begging every vehicle that passed by - at least two cars, a tempo, and a motorcycle - for help with folded hands, and returning to check on her husband every time she was turned down. 

Several agonising minutes later, a cab driver stopped and helped rush Venkataramanan to a nearby hospital. Doctors there declared him dead on arrival.

Officials said Venkataramanan had got married in January 2020 and has a five-year-old son and a daughter, who is a year and a half old. He was also the only surviving child of his mother, whose other five children had died earlier.

Even in tragedy, though, the family chose compassion. They donated Venkataramanan's eyes, allowing his death to bring sight to others.