Case filed against two PHC staffers for faking Covid test

Bengaluru: A case has been filed against two employees at Kodigehalli Primary Health Center (PHC) in Bengaluru for faking swab collection. The video of their sham went viral on social media. The Kodigehalli police, on Saturday, registered a case against them based on a complaint given by Dr Premanand BR, medical officer of the Kodigehalli PHC.

According to the reports, the two PHC staffers were seen opening brand new swabs and putting them into vials without taking a sample and this was captured on cameras. The swabs are used to take nasal and throat samples from people and then inserted into the vial before they are sent to a lab for testing.

"The video shows the two men opening a crate of brand new swabs and putting them in boxes for sending them to laboratory without taking samples from people with Covid symptoms. Some female voices are heard in the video joking about what they are doing. The female staffer recording the video is heard saying that if the video is posted on Facebook everyone will know what they are up to. One of the men replies that he is not afraid and will continue," a senior medical officer said.

The video went viral on WhatsApp, according to the FIR registered by the Kodigehalli police. It was claimed that senior officials saw the video and sent it to medical officer Dr Premanand. After watching the video, he filed a complaint to the police.