A doctor and some nurses of a state-run designated Covid-19 hospital at Murshidabad in south Bengal were allegedly heckled by supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress when the hospital authorities refused to admit a block-level TMC leader in the hospital who had tested negative for Covid-19.
“It is a Covid-19 designated hospital. The TMC leader had tested negative even though he was suffering from Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI). The doctors refused to admit him without an examination. He died later in the night,” said a senior doctor of the hospital.
Hospital authorities alleged that dozens of TMC supporters came to the hospital to admit Mafijuddin Mondal, the party’s block president from Khargram. As the doctors and nurses were attending other critical patients, the TMC supporters entered the Covid-19 ward and started looking for a bed where Mondal could be admitted.
“When a doctor objected, the TMC supporters started heckling him and tore his shirt. Later, some nurses and other hospital staff were also heckled when they tried to intervene,” said a hospital staff.
A senior police officer said that four people had been detained on the basis of a complaint lodged by the hospital authorities.
{{/usCountry}}A senior police officer said that four people had been detained on the basis of a complaint lodged by the hospital authorities.
{{/usCountry}}“Khalilur Rahaman, the ruling party’s member of parliament from Jangipur was also present. It is not desirable from an MP. Mondal was referred to the hospital as a SARI patient which means he was Covid-19 negative. But his supporters demanded an ICU bed,” said Sharmila Mallik, Superintendent of the Matri Sadan hospital in Berhampore.
Rahaman, however, refused to comment: “I don’t want to comment on this.”
Till Thursday, at least 13 people have died in Murshidabad from the Covid-19 infection and eight other people of the district have died outside Murshidabad from the disease.