Covid rage hits doc in Osmania; 24-hr police protection promised

HYDERABAD: The Osmania General Hospital (OGH) authorities promised to provide round-the-clock police protection to the doctors working at the hospital’s Covid-19 wards after junior doctors threatened to go on an indefinite strike following an attack on one of their colleagues by a patient’s relatives on Tuesday.

Following the attack, which is the third such incident to be reported within a week, the representatives of Osmania Hospital Junior Doctors Association met hospital Superintendent Dr B Nagender and made a representation, demanding they be provided with police protection while they are discharging their duties. Dr Nagender later said: “During a high-level review meeting with DCP Ramesh Reddy, it has been decided to have three policemen at each of Covid-19 wards on a rotational basis for 24 hours.”

Speaking to Express, Dr Vijeyandra Goud, a doctor from Osmania Hospital, said: “A number of suspected Covid patients were kept in the general ward. Two of them tested positive on Tuesday. The attendants of another patient whose test results had not come yet got agitated, saying that their patient might catch the infection from the other positive patients in the ward. This led to an argument and the patient’s attendants beat up the in-charge doctor.”

“We cannot completely blame the patients and their attendants. This is a very understandable fear, that a suspected asymptomatic patient may catch the virus from another symptomatic virus. The government is not understanding the distinction between quarantine and isolation facilities,” Dr Goud added.

Last week, a resident doctor at Gandhi Hospital was beaten up by a deceased patient’s attendants who were also Covid-positive. The doctor had delivered the unfortunate news of one of the family members passing away due to Covid, and the other family members got agitated and slapped the doctor.An Asha worker too had to face verbal abuse when she was on Covid survey duty in Aziz Nagar, Tolichowki. The police had to be called to resolve the issue and escort the Asha workers away from the spot.

TS records 52 new cases and one death
The State continues to record a massive spike in the number of Covid-19 cases as 52 more people tested positive on Tuesday, taking the total to 644. One more Covid-19 death was also recorded on the day, taking the total to 18 deaths. Seven people were discharged on Tuesday

220 Gandhi Hospital staff nurses to go on strike
Hyderabad: Around 220 contract nurses who are treating Covid-19 patients at Gandhi Hospital have decided to go on an indefinite strike from Wednesday, demanding that their services be regularised with an increased salary. Speaking to Express, B Meghamala, a staff nurse, said: “The contract nurses have been working in Gandhi Hospital for the past 15 years for a meagre salary of `17,000. After PF deduction, we get `15,000. We are dealing with Covid positive patients for the past one month. The least the government can do is give us permanent positions or increase our salaries.”