India, Nov. 10 -- When nine-year-old Rishabh Chandanshile, who suffers from respiratory illness, started gasping for breath late in the night in September this year, his aunt Vandana Taide rushed him to Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi, only to be referred to Sion Hospital.

"At Shatabdi Hospital, they told us that they couldn't treat my nephew because there were no intensive care unit (ICU) beds, oxygen, or doctor," Taide, 40, told Hindustan Times. "They referred us to Sion Hospital, where we were told the same thing."

Eventually, Taide was forced to admit the nine-year-old boy to a private hospital as his condition was deteriorating and nearly five hours had passed while trying to find an ICU bed in a government hospital.

While Chandanshi...