A private ambulance driver, who brought a coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive patient from Odisha’s Kalahandi district to a hospital in Cuttack, has been forcibly quarantined by his family members and villagers at a state government-run facility in disregard to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plea to support frontline healthcare workers combating the viral outbreak.
On April 5, Banamali Sethi, a private ambulance driver of Dadpur village in Kalahandi district, had taken the 29-year-old Covid-19 patient to a hospital in Cuttack. His family members and the villagers denied him entry to the village on April 6, as they were afraid that he might have contracted SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, and ensured that he stays in quarantine for 14 days.
“I was meted out this harsh treatment because I had taken the Covid-19 positive patient to a hospital in Cuttack in the ambulance,” said Sethi. He has been staying in the quarantine facility on the outskirts of his village since April 6. The villagers refused to be convinced by the healthcare workers, who tried to reason with them that Sethi had taken all precautionary measures, including wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) units such as masks and gloves, while ferrying the Covid-19 positive patient to Cuttack.
Kalahandi district collector (DC) Dr Gavalli Prashad weighed in on the villagers’ unreasonable behaviour. “Sethi couldn’t have contracted the infection because of the partition between him and the patient. We booked a private ambulance, as the one owned by the government doesn’t have a partition. He was given all the PPE units in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) protocol. The vehicle was sanitised after it came back to Kalahandi from Cuttack. There is no cause for concern,” Prashad said.
{{/usCountry}}Kalahandi district collector (DC) Dr Gavalli Prashad weighed in on the villagers’ unreasonable behaviour. “Sethi couldn’t have contracted the infection because of the partition between him and the patient. We booked a private ambulance, as the one owned by the government doesn’t have a partition. He was given all the PPE units in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) protocol. The vehicle was sanitised after it came back to Kalahandi from Cuttack. There is no cause for concern,” Prashad said.
{{/usCountry}}Initially, the DC said, Sethi refused to ferry the Covid-19 patient to Cuttack, but he relented after much coaxing. “We had sent another driver as a back up to Sethi. We’ve spoken to his family members and have convinced them that his health is not at risk,” he added.