The doctors at the State-run Trauma and Emergency Care Centre (TECC), located on the Victoria Hospital campus, are grappling with a worrying trend: a growing number of elderly and critically-ill patients being brought in by individuals who later deny any familial connection.
What wards claim
The hospital staff said that many such patients were admitted with attendants claiming to have found them abandoned on the streets. While the medical team ensures immediate stabilisation and treatment, the challenge intensifies once the patients recover, as securing space in NGO-run old age homes was becoming increasingly difficult.
According to the TECC authorities, nearly 60 abandoned senior citizens have been shifted to shelters and old-age care facilities since January. The actual number, they caution, may be far higher, as families increasingly push the responsibility of caregiving onto the public healthcare system.
The medical staff said, “This trend reflects growing social neglect and the urgent need for stronger support structures for vulnerable senior citizens.”
Recent case
On November 25, a 61-year-old man was brought in an unconscious condition by a woman who claimed she had picked him up from an NGO. He was later diagnosed with pancytopenia – a serious condition characterised by reduced counts of all major blood cells.
“After stabilisation, he is able to walk and communicate. But when we contacted the phone number given during the admission, the woman denied any relationship with him. However, the patient insists she is a family member,” said a hospital staffer.
The Hindu also contacted the woman but she refused to accept she was related to the patient.
Families return for the body
Asima Banu, special officer (in charge) of TECC, said the staff routinely encounter such cases of abandonment.
“We have seen over 60 such patients this year. Two months ago, a family that pretended to have no connection with an elderly patient returned after his death, demanding the body. When informed it would be sent to the mortuary, the son finally admitted he was, in fact, the deceased’s relative,” Dr. Banu recounted.
Referrals on the rise
Dr. Banu also pointed out to the increasing referrals from hospitals both within and outside Karnataka. “Patients who exhaust their insurance and still require treatment often come here. Additionally, police bring in several destitute persons daily. We manage at least five such admissions every day,” she said.
Commissioned in 2016 during the previous term of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the 120-bed TECC was built at a cost of ₹35 crore. It houses four major operation theatres, five minor OTs, a 36-bed ICU, a Cathlab, and CT scanning facility. The centre handles around 90,000 patients annually and is among the few government hospitals providing adult diapers to all who need them.
“We will soon have an MRI facility operational. The Indian Council of Medical Research has also selected the TECC to host South India’s first Infectious Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory. This will enable advanced infectious disease investigations within Bengaluru without having to send samples to other States,” Dr. Banu added.
Published – December 03, 2025 06:47 pm IST
