Coronavirus patients misbehave with Tripura doctor, government yet to act
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Agartala, July 26: No action has been taken even after 48 hours when a section of Covid-19 patients misbehaved with a woman doctor.
Tripura Health and Family Welfare Department Director Radha Debbarma said here on Sunday that they would lodge an FIR over the incident of misbehaviour with West Tripura District Health Surveillance Officer Sangita Chakraborty on Friday.
Stating that Chakraborty, a young doctor, worked hard to take care of Covid-19 and other patients, Debbarma told IANS, "The health directorate officials after scrutinising the video of the incident would file an FIR."
Demanding 'exemplary punishment',misbehavior the All Tripura Government Doctors' Association (ATGDA) general secretary Rajesh Choudhury said they had raised the issues with higher authorities, including Sanjay Kumar Rakesh, Additional Chief Secretary (in-charge of Health and Family Welfare Department).
"If they failed to take any action, we would take appropriate legal steps," Choudhury told IANS. Terming this kind of uncivilised behaviour unexpected and unacceptable, he said a precedent had to be set to warn others.
Dr Chakraborty said she was abused and spat at by some patients being treated at a Covid care centre, here, when she had gone there on Friday to admit five women who had given birth to babies a day before.
"The women had undergone caesarian operations at Tripura Medical College on Thursday. When they tested Covid-19 positive, we decided to shift them to the Covid care centre. We had gone there with a health department team and the police personnel. When we tried to admit them, a group of men and women obstructed the process, claiming there were no vacant beds," she said.
When requested by other doctors and nurses to return to their beds, some of them started using filthy languages, spat at me and threatened to touch me and infect me with coronavirus, Dr Chakraborty said.
"This is most unfortunate and dehumanising. We are treating them. All patients need the same care. We feel humiliated," said another doctor, a colleague of Dr Chakraborty.