Coimbatore: Two days after the city police removed 17 ‘paid attenders’ from the Covid ward, ESI Hospital dean M Raveendran defended the hospital authorities for allowing the attenders enter the hospital.
“Sons and daughters of some Covid-19 patients settled in foreign countries, had deputed attenders to take care of them. The attenders bought necessary items needed by the patients from shops and handed them over to staff nurses. Staff nurses wearing PPE kits would hand over the things to patients. We cannot stop patients from deputing attenders and did not allow any paid attenders inside the corona ward,” he told TOI.
“If paid attenders demand money, patients should bring it to the knowledge of hospital authorities,” Raveendran added.
According to sources, paid attenders collected Rs 2,500 per day for taking care of Covid-19 patients and Rs 3,000 for taking care of patients in the intensive care unit of the hospital.
But hospital authorities said they were not aware about paid attenders.
“The hospital management was forced to lodge a complaint with the Singanallur police on Tuesday against paid attender Balaji, who extorted patients. Police arrested Balaji and remanded him in judicial custody,” the source added.