Police outside a shop that opened, defying Punjab government guidelines allowing only 50% shops to open, in Ludhiana on Monday. HOwever, the condition has now been removed. (Express Photo: Gurmeet Singh)Two villages in Punjab’s Moga district have passed resolutions announcing a boycott of government health teams. They have resolved to not admit any villager in government hospitals, even if he/she tests positive for the novel coronavirus, and the patient will be treated/isolated in the village itself.
The resolutions state that villagers of Lande and Wander — both located in Baghapurana sub-division of Moga — will not allow the state government’s health teams/doctors to take any villager along. Even if someone tests positive, he/she will not be admitted in any government hospitals and they won’t even allow testing of a person if there are no symptoms.
The resolutions passed by both villages, copies of which are undersigned by panchayat members including sarpanch, read, “If any person tests positive for coronavirus in this village, he/she will be isolated at his/her home or any common place in the village. No coronavirus patient will be sent with the government health teams/doctors. They will not be allowed to take along any villager to any government hospital or other health facility, even if they will try to do so forcefully. The patient will be treated in the village itself with the advise of doctors. Because till date there is no vaccine for coronavirus. We will also not allow testing of any person by force, till he/she won’t have any symptoms. However, if any villager wants to get tested voluntarily, he/she can do go ahead…”
Gurpreet Singh, sarpanch of Lande village, said, “There is a lot of news circulating on WhatsApp and social media that organs such as kidneys, liver are being taken out in government hospitals in name of coronavirus treatment. Villagers are scared. Coronavirus will not kill anyone and we will treat the person in our village itself.”
Kulwinder Kaur, sarpanch of Wander village, said, “We have enough isolation facility in our village itself. We won’t let any health team take away any villager.”