An 85-year-old RSS member voluntarily vacated his hospital bed for a younger patient.

85-year-old Narayan Dabhalkar vacated his hospital bed at Indira Gandhi government hospital against the doctor's advice for a 40-year-old patient.

85-year-old Narayan Dabhalkar vacated his hospital bed at Indira Gandhi government hospital against the doctor's advice for a 40-year-old patient. After testing positive for COVID-19, 85-year-old Narayan Dabhalkar was admitted to Indira Gandhi government hospital in Nagpur. However, a couple of hours later, Dabhalkar went back home as he chose to give up his bed to save the life of a 40-year-old man.

As India grapples with the second deadly wave of COVID-19, states across the country are running out of oxygen cylinders and hospital beds. In Maharashtra, a former RSS member and state government employee spent hours searching for a bed when his oxygen saturation levels dipped due to COVID-19. Eventually, he found a bed at the Indira Gandhi government hospital. However, in an attempt to save the life of a man younger than him, he chose to be discharged the same day. In his written consent, Narayan Dabhalkar said that he is voluntarily vacating his bed for a younger patient. He emphasized that it was his duty to save the "young man." Dabhalkar's family supported his decision and stated that Dabhalkar chose to spend his last moments with his loved ones at home. The next day, he succumbed to death.

Speaking to the Times of India, an Indira Gandhi hospital official verified that the hospital records have Dabhalkar's name and said, "Whom to give the bed to is the prerogative of the doctors. Although Dabhadkar's leaving would have certainly eased the pressure by creating space for someone else."

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.