A fireman sanitising the road outside a hospital. (Express photo by Vishal Srivastav)

A 25-year-old youth who tested negative for coronavirus was recalled by Jalandhar Civil Hospital authorities within hours after he was discharged. The Lava Bazaar area resident said he got a call on Tuesday saying his test report had come back positive after he went home and met his family and friends.

Talking to The Indian Express, the patient said: “Doctors  told me that your report had come negative and you can go home. I was discharged at 2:00 pm. I returned home and met all my family members and few relatives. Then at 11:30 pm Dr. Kashmiri Lal, Senior Medical Officer (SMO),  of Civil hospital called me and told to return to hospital. They told me that my report was positive.”

In fact, he received a grand welcome, with people of his mohalla showering him with flowers as he arrived riding his motorcycle. He also had lunch with his family members.

Even a press release issued by the district public relation department on Tuesday mentioned that three patients were tested negative including the youth. The other two were a Tablighi member from Kartarpur and a 40-year-old man from Raja Garden Colony.

The youth has now accused the hospital staff of putting the lives of his family members at risk.

“Coronavirus is such a big disease and they are playing a game of negative- positive with me. They have put the life of my family in danger too,” he said.

Civil surgeon Dr Gurvinder Kaur Chawla said that an inquiry has been ordered to fix responsibility for the lapse.

Till date, the hospital could not locate the source of infection of at least six Covid-19 patients in the district. Jalandhar so far has 85 COVID-19 cases, the highest in Punjab. In the initial stages of the virus outbreak, the hospital’s paramedical staff was not provided gloves and PPE kits, with some even being forced to wear plastic bags on their hands while attending COVID-19 patients.