23-year-old drowns in civic pool

PUNE: In a second incident in the span of a week, another epilepsy patient drowned on Sunday, in a PCMC-run pool in Bhosari this time, raising questions about safety measures as well as the need to demand medical fitness certificates by pool authorities.
Sagar Madhukar Dolas (23) of Bhosari suffered an epileptic attack while swimming. Ironically, Sagar’s brother, who works as a lifeguard at the pool, had warned him to stay away, but Sagar somehow entered the pool for a swim and suffered an epileptic attack.
Police officials of the Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial hospital chowky said Sagar became unconscious around 4.15 pm. He was rushed to hospital but the doctors declared him dead on arrival.
PCMC’s assistant commissioner Sahebrao Gaikwad, who is in charge of the swimming pool, said the youth’s brother works as a lifeguard at the pool.
“After he had the epileptic attack, other swimmers raised an alarm and the lifeguard — the victim’s own brother — jumped into the pool to rescue him and brought him out of the water. Sagar was immediately taken to the YCM hospital but died before he could get any treatment.” People who suffer from epileptic attacks should not venture into swimming pools, he added.
Only on Tuesday last, 17-year-old Akash Chavan drowned in a Pune Municipal Corporation-run swimming pool at Bopodi after suffering an epileptic attack.