Uttar Pradesh: Two booked for packing RT-PCR test kit without taking sample

GORAKHPUR: Two health workers were booked in Basti for packing an RT-PCR kit without collecting the sample from an elderly man at Manjharia primary health centre (PHC) of Mahripur village of the district on Monday. As the video of the incident later went viral on social media, the district administration ordered an investigation into the episode and suspended one of the health workers.
Reports said the viral video shows a health worker filling the form of the elderly man, who had come at the PHC for Covid-19 test, while another health worker packing the RT-PCR kit without collecting the sample.
The two health workers in the video were later identified as lab technician Nitesh Kumar and wardboy Mohad Hassan, both posted at Manjharia PHC of Mahripur village and were on duty on Monday.
Taking the video into cognizance, district magistrate Saumya Agarwal on Wednesday said, “I have ordered a probe into the incident and the chief medical officer of Basti has suspended wardboy Mohd Hassan.”
Additional chief medical officer (ACMO) Dr Fakhreyar Hussain said, “The DM has instructed the medical officer in-charge (MOIC) Manjharia Dr Vivek Vishwas to initiate legal action into the matter.”
An FIR was lodged against Kumar and Hassan on Tuesday evening at Nagar police station under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant) of IPC and section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, police said.
CMO Dr Anuj Kumarhas suspended the wardboy and wrote a letter to the District Urban Development Agency (DUDA) to end the contract of the lab technician Nitesh Kumar.