COVID-19 Doctors Flag Filthy Conditions In Videos, UP Government Acts

A group of government doctors and paramedical workers treating COVID-19 patients in Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli district were transferred to a guest house on Wednesday night after they released videos highlighting deplorable and squalid living conditions at a government-run school. The medical staff, who are under "active quarantine" (they can't go home due to fear of the virus spreading) also wrote to the chief medical officer of the district.

In their written complaint the doctors said they were entrusted with the care of coronavirus patients in the district and allotted quarters at the government school on Tuesday evening; the school is near the hospital where COVID-19 cases have been admitted.

The doctors also released two videos - one filmed at 3 am on Wednesday morning and the other during lunch on the same day - to underscore how terrible these quarters were.

"It is 3 am. There is no electricity; there are four cots to a single room. This is five-star class (but) not even a fan is working. Let me show you the common bathrooms here. The urinals have no pipes and the latrines are choked," a man can be heard in the first video.

The doctors shot multiple videos of their horrible living conditions, including one of the toilet

"This is how we are supposed to live in active quarantine," the voice adds.

The second video highlights the manner in which food is served.

"Look at this food being served for lunch. It is packed in polythene and everything is just bunched together - poori and sabzi . This is for doctors and staff engaged in treating COVID-19 patients," a man can be heard in the video.

One of the videos was shot during lunch time and showed condition of packaged food for doctors

In a third video, shot Wednesday morning, a doctor dressed in protective equipment explains why healthcare workers are furious.

"Sleeping arrangements are such that there is a school with big classrooms; each room has four beds. This is against the rules of active quarantine. When we complained about choked bathrooms, they brought a mobile toilet. There was no electricity at night. A 20-litre water bottle was given to us last night and we were told this had to be shared," the doctor said.

In their videos, the doctors questioned if it was safe to have four of them sleeping in the same room

In response to the videos and the complaint the chief medical officer of the district, which has reported 43 active COVID-19 cases so far, said "all complaints have been addressed".

"I inspected the place myself and I did not find the facilities up to the mark. With the help of the administration we have shifted them to a nearby guest house and we will ensure they have no issues with living condition or food and they can be fully satisfied and work," Dr SK Sharma said, adding, "We are also arranging for a live kitchen there so the doctors can get hot cooked food".

Concerns over the safety and well-being of healthcare workers on the frontline of the war on the novel coronavirus have been repeatedly expressed by leaders across party lines.

The government passed an executive order on Wednesday, hours after Home Minister Amit Shah declared "safety and dignity of doctors is non-negotiable", making attacks on doctors a non-bailable offence punishable with prison time of up to seven years and a hefty fine.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while extending the nationwide lockdown last week, urged people to "pay utmost respect to corona warriors of the country, our doctors, nurses..."

One of the Rae Bareli doctors remarked: "We just want to know if these are the standards for healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients. If one of us gets infected won't all of us get infected?"