Early on in India’s war against Covid-19 there were multiple incidents of housing societies and landlords asking doctors, nurses and other health staff to vacate the property. These are the frontline warriors that we all expect to save us from the pandemic that is on mission creep across the country. Harassing them and their families at a time when the nation should be joining to fortify their morale is unconscionable. So it is really welcome that stern messaging from different governments seems to have arrested the above trend.
A Maharashtra government circular for instance laid down that, “All citizens should reckon the significant role doctors, nurses and medical staff are playing in such trying times. Their services should be acknowledged and people should extend all support and cooperate with them.” It also warned that any landlord or housing society found to be asking medical personnel to vacate their home would face criminal offence under the Medical Act.
Unfortunately an even more worrying trend has emerged this week, where health workers are actually being physically threatened in the course of their work – even as this work becomes more critical than ever as the infection spread has picked up pace and crossed 2,500.
In Indore, Madhya Pradesh two women doctors who had gone there to identify family members of a man who died of Covid-19 were chased by a hundred strong mob. It must be underlined that contact tracing such as the doctors were engaged in is vital to slow the spread of infection, especially in congested localities such as those in Indore that have reported more than 75 cases. Asha workers were attacked in Bengaluru under similar circumstances. In Munger, Bihar the quick response team was pelted with stones. In a Hyderabad hospital, doctors were reportedly assaulted by the family members of a Covid-19 patient who died. These are unacceptable behaviours. They must be met with strict and swift police action.
Preventing health workers from collecting data will seriously hurt India’s ability to defeat Covid-19. It also needs to be underlined that fake news is playing a role in these attacks. For example in the Indore case WhatsApp videos claiming that Muslims are being taken away and injected with the virus have been reported. Countering misinformation is an important part of keeping our health workers safe and on duty.
Read also: 50 attack Asha worker on Covid-19 duty in Bengaluru; five arrested
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