Concerned over the families of COVID-19 victims allegedly assaulting healthcare professionals, Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes’ Association (PHANA) has written to Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant seeking police protection.
In the letter, PHANA president H.M. Prasanna and secretary Rajashekara Y.L. have pointed out that many patients are reporting late to the hospitals, have co-morbidities, delayed recoveries, and sometimes succumb.
“The hospitals are witnessing a lot of anxious and emotional moments of patients, as well as their kinnear and dear ones. This is aggravated by the scarcity of beds and need for ventilators. There are many deaths happening due to COVID-19 in spite of best treatments. That is the magnitude and nature of the pandemic and is the same in other parts of the world too,” the letter said.
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“Such emotions, misconceptions, blame games, hardships/misunderstandings in the billing, interferences of the local hooligans, etc. are happening in our country resulting in mob violence in the hospitals/clinics. Many doctors and healthcare professionals have suffered injuries.”
Urging the Commissioner to sensitise all police stations regarding such possibilities and to take necessary steps, PHANA has requested that prohibitory orders should be imposed in the vicinity of all healthcare establishments treating COVID-19 patients (similar to that in place in election booths). They have also requested police personnel in the hospital premises round the clock.