Hospitals face heat after Covid patient’s wife alleges molestation

A day after a woman alleged molestation and misbehaviour by staff of private hospitals in Bhagalpur and in Patna during the course of treatment of her Covid-infected husband who eventually died on May 9, the police in the two cities began a crackdown, arresting a ward boy and lodging an FIR against a doctor and other employees

A day after a woman alleged molestation and misbehaviour by staff of private hospitals in Bhagalpur and in Patna during the course of treatment of her Covid-infected husband who eventually died on May 9, the police in the two cities began a crackdown, arresting a ward boy and lodging an FIR against a doctor and other employees.

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Speaking to the media in Patna on Tuesday, the woman had narrated the ordeal she faced at Bhagalpur’s Glocal hospital and later at Rajeshwar hospital in Patna where her husband was later taken after his condition worsened.

In Bhagalpur, the police arrested Jyoti Kumar, a ward boy at Glocal Hospital in Bhagalpur suspended on Tuesday. On Wednesday, a team of police and drug authorities swooped on the hospital and seized evidence of alleged malpractices, including black-marketing of life saving drugs.

Bhagalpur’s senior superintendent of police (SSP) Nitasha Gudiya confirmed the arrest and said that following a complaint by the woman, a joint team of Bhagalpur administration and the state’s drug department had started a probe.

A three-member team headed by additional district magistrate Triloki Nath Singh and comprising drug inspector Dayanand Prasad and assistant drug inspector Pradip Kumar found many irregularities and seized records of treatment of the woman’s husband. “We also found that the hospital’s drug store was illegally selling medicines given as samples to physicians, apart from selling drugs past their expiry date,” said Dayanand Prasad.

“A scrutiny of he husband’s treatment records also revealed that the hospital procured three vials of Remdesivir injection for his treatment but administered only two vials, on April 18 and 20,” he said.

ADM Singh said the committee would recommend cancellation of the licence given to the hospital’s drug store.

The hospital refused to respond to calls.

In Patna, police lodged an FIR against one Dr Akhilesh Kumar and others working at Rajeshwar hospital, where her husband died on May 8 after he was shifted from the Bhagalpur hospital on April 26.

The woman had accused Dr Kumar of touching her inappropriately several times during his visits to the ICU.

Patna’s senior superintendent of police Upendra Sharma said the a case was registered with the Patrakar Nagar police station after the woman sent him a complaint on WhatsApp. “Charges relate to misbehaviour, medical negligence and extortion,” he said.

When contacted, Satyendra Singh, manager of the hospital, said, “Such allegations only demoralise doctors and health workers who are risking their lives to treat Covid-19 patients.”