A hospital in Darrang district became a source of embarrassment for the Assam government by discharging a person who tested positive for COVID-19 instead of another who had recovered.
The district authorities have ordered a magisterial probe into the goof-up at the Mangaldai Civil Hospital in Mangaldai district.
The hospital authorities had on Wednesday evening decided to discharge one Hamid Ali and five others after their recovery. But they mixed him up with Hanif Ali who had tested positive when they were to be released at 7 p.m. Both are from the same village — Dalgaon Sialmari in the district.
Instead of Hamid, Hanif left the hospital with the five others in an ambulance in the presence of local MLA Gurujyoti Das, Deputy Commissioner Dilip Kumar Bora and Superintendent of Police Amrit Bhuyan.
“All of them were in home quarantine when health officials on Thursday morning learnt about Hanif having been wrongly discharged. He was readmitted but he tested negative hours later. He was discharged today (Friday), and so was Hamid Ali,” Mr. Bora said.
The goof-up was attributed to “not recognising the face behind the mask”. Officials said Hanif’s house has been marked as a containment zone.
6 booked in Mizoram
The Mizoram police have booked six men for supplying locally brewed liquor and drugs to some people quarantined for COVID-19. Mizoram is a dry State.
It is the fifth northeastern State to record more than 100 COVID-19 positive cases.