Pune: Public Health Centre medical staff in Indapur alleges humiliation and ill-treatment from Tehsildar Sonali Metkari

Pune: Public Health Centre (PHC) medical staff from Lasurne village of Indapur taluka has alleged that they were ill-treated by Tehsildar Sonali Metkari after one of its staff was identified to be COVID-19 positive and the rest of the staff went to Baramati instead of Indapur to give their swab samples for testing.

The medical staff had earlier gone to the Indapur laboratory facility to give their swab samples but had to return as they did not reach in time. As the team visited Baramati to give their swab, it triggered Tehsildar Metkari to humiliate the medical staff. The reports of four of these officers and staff came as COVID-negative from the Baramati lab on Sunday evening.

Metkari was reportedly upset over the fact that Indapur employees had gone to Baramati to give samples. Metkari allegedly used unparliamentary language against Medical Officer Dr Poonam Gudale and her staff working at Lasurne PHC. "You have to listen to me. Taluka medical officer is brainless," Metkari said to the staff. Dr Gudale and her team have filed a written complaint regarding this incident with the District Health Officer.

When contacted, Indapur Tehsildar Sonali Metkari refused the allegation of using unparliamentary language while talking with the doctors. "The doctors don't understand how to talk with senior officers," she said.

Indapur taluka is witnessing a sharp rise in the number of COVID-positive cases in the last few days. The taluka has reported a total of 48 cases so far and 3 deaths due to COVID-19. A total of 21 patients have recovered and 24 cases are active in the region. Areas like Bori, Junction and Kalamb (Lalpuri) are affected the most and have been declared as a containment zone by the local administration recently. The PHC staff itself has caught the coronavirus infection and that has set alarm bells in the district administration officials who are monitoring the situation. However, with the clashes between medical officers, staff and the tehsildar the risk of losing the battle against COVID-19 is becoming real, say villagers.

Edited by:
Khevna Pandit