A group of doctors and police personnel, taking a suspected COVID-19 patient to a hospital, were attacked in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad on Wednesday. Around a dozen people were arrested for allegedly pelting stones and assaulting the health department officials, confirmed police.
According to health department officials, a team of health workers led by a doctor went to pick up a person showing COVID-19 symptoms.
However, on their way back, a huge crowd of people stopped the ambulance and pelted stones aiming at the health workers. Some people even hurled stones from their balconies.
“The miscreants illegally confined doctor H.C. Mishra while a technician was seriously injured. The personal protective equipment of the team members were torn off. The four policemen who went with the team had to retreat. One of them was injured", an official was quoted as saying to the media.
A police team had to reach the Nawabpura area of Nagpahani to rescue the staff stuck at the site of the incident.
Taking cognisance of the matter, State Chief Yogi Adityanath has said the National Security Act (NSA) will be invoked against the accused in the attack. The NSA is a stringent law that allows preventive detention of individuals accused of crimes for months without citing a reason.
“Strict action will be taken after identifying those who were involved in the incident. Some members of medical team had received injuries. There is a violation of Sec 144 & Epidemic Diseases Act, Disaster Management Act. Action will be taken under the National Security Act", confirmed Senior superintendent of police Amit Pathak.
Considering the growing number of attacks on doctors, India’s apex court on Wednesday announced that action would be taken with two hours if any grievance is raised by healthcare workers via a hotline for medical staff.
Doctors Fighting Violence Amid COVID-19 Outbreak
While fighting the coronavirus pandemic in India, doctors are also fighting assaults and attacks on them as they are seen as carriers of the virus by some sections of people.
The Resident Doctors Association of Delhi's Maulana Azad Medical College also complained of physical assault and verbal abuse by patients on Tuesday. Doctors have written a letter to the Home Ministry demanding action against perpetrators under the country's anti-terror law.
On 2 April, a team of doctors was chased and cornered by almost 100 people, who threw stones and other objects at them in Madhya Pradesh. The medical staff had gone there to collect the samples of people who attended Tablighi Jamaat, an Islamic gathering in New Delhi. The gathering later b ecame a hotspot of COVID-19 cases in the country, with more than 1,400 cases.
In Bangalore, health workers were attacked as they went to check people for symptoms. Several other incidents of people throwing urine, spitting, and verbally abusing nurses and doctors have been reported.