By Sanjay Pandey, DHNS, Lucknow
Close on the heels of reports of segregation of Hindu-Muslim Coronavirus positive patients by a Gujarat hospital, which the authorities denied, a private hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut town, about 500 kilometres from here, banned the admission of Muslim patients unless they furnished COVID-19 negative test reports for them and their attendants.
According to the sources, the health department and the police were investigating the matter.
The hospital, which is specialised in treatment of cancer, has put out an advertisement in a leading Hindi daily explaining in detail about the reasons that prompted it to do so.
The reasons cited by the hospital included the alleged misbehaviour of the members of the
‘Tableegh-e-Jamaat’ (TJ), who, the ad said, had contributed to the spread of coronavirus infection in the country
”Some members of TJ have also attacked and misbehaved with the doctors, paramedical sta and nurses during their treatment…such incidents have been rising,” it said.
”In our hospital also, some Muslim patients have not been following the rules and misbehaving with the sta…therefore we request the new Muslim patients wanting to get treatment and admission in the hospital must bring COVID 19 negative test report for themselves and their attendants,” the ad went on to state.
It clarified that the new rules would not apply to Muslim doctors, judges, police personnel, oicers, paramedical sta if they did not live in the ”densely populated Muslim localities”.
The ad rued that the aluent Hindu/Jain families were ‘misers’ and did not contribute generously to the ‘PM Cares Fund Though the hospital in its clarification said that it did not intend to hurt the feelings of any community, including the Muslim, it did not state if the new rules with regard to admission of Muslim patients had been withdrawn
This story first appeared on deccanherald.com