Could timely treatment have saved the lives of at least a few of the 106 victims in the Malwani hooch tragedy is the question that was raised by this paper’s front page report yesterday. The patients were sent to the BMC-run Shatabdi Hospital, but were still deprived of essential treatment because the dialysis centre run by a private trust had shut for the day. Despite dire need, the facility was not reopened and the patients had to be transferred to other hospitals, resulting in loss of precious time.

There are various institutions and trusts that tie up with the government to set up hospitals with the promise to provide treatment to the needy, either free of cost or at concessional rates. But there have been plenty of instances when patients visited these hospitals expecting better care, only to run from pillar to post with no relief.